


Resident Evil: The City of Ruin

by TwilightGalaxies



Series: Resident Evil: Red Valentine AU [1]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Action & Romance, Ada is Ada, Alternate Universe, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst and Romance, Awkward Flirting, Blood and Gore, Carlos is a flirt, Character Death, Dark Comedy, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/F, F/M, Gun Violence, Gunshot Wounds, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Jealousy, Leon is Oblivious, Nemesis is scary, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sexual Tension, Sherry needs new parents, Survival Horror, a bit of a slow burn, jackednotstacked
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-05-22
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:28:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23649961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightGalaxies/pseuds/TwilightGalaxies
Summary: A few short months after the tragic Arklay Mountain Incident, Jill Valentine is thrust right back into the Umbrella Corporation's schemes in Raccoon City. With the whole city and Chris's younger sister's life on the line, Jill struggles with the worst of Umbrella's tyrants and with her growing attachment to Claire Redfield. The stakes only rise when a little girl named Sherry Birkin and a young rookie cop get involved.
Relationships: Claire Redfield/Jill Valentine, Leon S. Kennedy/Ada Wong
Series: Resident Evil: Red Valentine AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779532
Comments: 119
Kudos: 129





	1. City of the Damned

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first attempt at a fanfiction with this topic, so I hope to not disappoint! I have been a fan of this video game series for a long time. Since I was a kid actually when I came across the Resident Evil 3 demo on PS1. Those zombie groans were scary as hell, weren't they? (Nemesis though tops the scare list in my opinion) Also I plan to keep the survival horror aspect while also not giving you a play by play of the games since you probably already know them.

The tiredness Jill feels as she reaches for her apartment doorknob is immense. She's gone days without resting and the paranoia she feels has only gotten worse the longer she's cooped up inside. Considering her job as a cop in Raccoon city sleep is as rare as it gets, but being pulled off the force because of the Arklay Mountain incident felt like a low blow made by Brian Irons, the fucker. She would not be getting much sleep these days anyway, not after the horrors she encountered not too long ago. Tucking her key into her wallet she shuts the door behind her, letting her eyes adjust when she flicks the light on to illuminate the room. It's a simple place, with a brown couch, a TV with a VHS, and a kitchen connected to the living room. This left the other doors which led to a rather pristine bathroom and messy bedroom. Just how she likes it, simple, in an otherwise increasingly complex world.

Shuffling her dark brown boots off near the welcome mat Chris gifted her a long time ago, Jill walks towards the kitchen to prepare herself dinner. Eating had admittedly become an unsettling task as each time she saw meat it made her think about brain splatter. Dispelling the thought which would remind her of the unforgettable smell of death, the cop sat on her couch, and she clicked on her TV before scooping some creamy cheesy noodles into her mouth.

The cable usually there to distract people from their daily lives only came back to haunt Jill as it flashed up the news. More exaggerated reports about the police department and cannibals in the Raccoon city area, as it was apparently the only newsworthy event of the year. She sighed as the reporter continued, a decently looking blonde with short hair, once again describing in grim details the tragedy of the S.T.A.R.S Bravo squadron's untimely deaths in a helicopter "accident" in the Arklay mountain area. The bastards had the nerve to cover it up.  
She angrily shut off the television with a forceful click and she forced away frustrated tears at the thought of the Umbrella Corporation getting away with their horrendous crimes. Of the bastards getting away with the atrocities they’ve created. The police chief, Brian Irons did not believe them but that did not mean the remaining S.T.A.R.S. members were going to give up so easily. After calming herself down Jill finished the rest of her meal before cleaning it up.

Staring into the mirror of her bathroom she clenched her hand into a fist tightly and she glanced down trying to push away her increasing anger at the betrayals she endured and of the flickering images of all of the men who died because of her ex Captain, Albert Wesker. After soaking her face with cold water she tried to ignore the dark circles under her eyes as she yawned into her hand. Before she could go to sleep, still flush with emotion and adrenaline, Jill decided to do 50 push-ups to get out her increasing aggression. Eventually feeling worn from the exertion she wiped the sweat off her face before she fell onto her squeaky mattress. The old worn mattress which poked at her with its aging springs every now and then was not the most comfortable place to lay but to her in this moment it felt like heaven amidst the hell she was living in.

Perhaps tomorrow she could just leave the city and join her partner Chris in Europe. It seemed the only good she could do here was get rejected by the chief who was too busy covering his own skin in the eyes of the press.

"Tomorrow." Jill groaned aloud melting into her covers as sleep overtook her.

She was absolutely livid. Angry beyond belief. Where the fuck was her brother Chris? She wanted to kick his ass for his vanishing act, but she knew that as soon as she saw him she'd be giving him a big hug instead. Increasing the pressure on the gas pedal, Claire passed by the green Raccoon City sign swiftly. As expected she has yet to see anyone else on the dark road for a while but she was expecting to see people soon. What greeted her instead caused her great confusion and she stopped her bike abruptly with a screech of her tires, her blue eyes widening once she passed by buildings that were engulfed in a violent array of flames.

"What the hell?" The redhead gasped, turning off the ignition as she parked her motorcycle. She took in the sights and smells of the city and she couldn't help but groan, the smell of stench and burning flesh hitting her hard. Covering her mouth and nose with her gloved hand Claire stood from her bike moving to make sure her revolver was within her reach as she took in her surroundings.

Cars were parked and abandoned on the streets with no one in sight and a few fires were haphazardly spreading around a few crashed vehicles. Screams sounded in the distance and Claire was hit with a chill down her spine.

Where was he? She wondered with fear knowing that since her brother was a cop he had to be here, somewhere.

The police station, Claire remembered, still in too much shock to really think of what she should do next. A problem arose however and that was that she didn't have a damned idea where the station was. How many times had she been in Raccoon City? Not enough to know it by heart.

A map, she had to find a map! She paused as she watched a man come into view. This person could help her and give her directions. He may even know what the hell is going on and yet something was off.

Despite this Claire ventured closer about to call out something when the shadowed figure suddenly turned in her direction. A burn of confusion stacked upon fear ran through her when he started shuffling towards her, his steps awkward and almost inhuman. That was when she heard his pained groans and she began to worry that he was injured.

"Hey! Are you okay?" Claire asked her hand moving to touch her gun because of instinct. Muggers still existed in chaos, didn't they? The sound of her voice did not stop his acceleration and Claire stepped backwards in response. Stepping from the shadows the man was suddenly illuminated by a flickering street lamp that revealed his ashen face and grotesque figure. Part of his face was ripped apart revealing pure red muscle and his clothes were splattered with a brown substance that must have been blood mixed with mud. The sight of him disgusted her and she gasped when he continued towards her, his similarly ashen hands stretched as if he was about to leap in her direction. The sounds from him she realized sounded more hungered than pained as he lurched closer, his footsteps picking up speed and she began to panic.

"Stop!" Claire shouted, not believing her eyes the closer and closer he got.

"I'm warning you!" She said her gun now in her grip as the threat of danger became too close for comfort. She gulped nervously knowing the gun Chris gave her was for this very situation, but to actually shoot a person was a whole ethical issue Claire was unsure she could cope with. The man made a horrible growl as he launched forward and Claire squeezed the trigger hitting him square in the chest. He fell backwards onto the street in a loud thud and Claire gasped as smoke flowed from her revolver. She had just shot a man. She kept her defensive stance not understanding why she was hearing more growls when she realized more of them were coming in her direction. The gunshot must have alerted them.

"Oh shit." The redhead whispered, tucking her revolver back into her side brown holster. At least she had the foresight to bring it and her biking bag. She turned and rifled through it to find more bullets before she stuck them in her pocket. One other object caught her eye and she grabbed it, Chris's old survival knife, now that would be useful. Claire smiled at it fondly but her reminiscing was interrupted when she was grabbed by dirty hands and she yelled out in terror as the man she had just shot wrestled her off her bike. She fell off of it onto the sidewalk and she hissed from the burn of the concrete grating her exposed skin. Too terrified to think of the pain she fumbled for her gun realizing the only thing between her and the impossibly alive man was her red motorcycle. He struggled after her with his milky white eyes and frothing mouth reminding Claire of a rabid dog as he tried to push her motorcycle out of the way so he could get to her. Aiming the gun towards him again she prepared to take another shot trying to steady her frantic breathing as they continued to wrestle. Abrupt gunfire rang through the air again and a bullet hit him in the head which sprayed his head all over the street and the bike.

Claire covered her mouth to keep from gagging in disgust when a hand came into her view. Tentatively, when she realized it was a person and not a monster she took the hand and she stood up suddenly face to face with a cold and serious stare. This was when she realized the woman in front of her had been the one who had taken the shot ending that man’s life and saving her in the process. The woman said nothing to her at first and she nearly flinched when she lifted up her handgun again shooting a shadowed figure that had been lurching over to them behind her.

“Come on, we have to go!” She said to Claire in a barking tone that made her realize the urgency of the situation. Her ears were ringing a little painfully but she ignored it once the woman darted off in another direction in a hurry. Would it really be safe to follow someone who had so easily killed a person right before her eyes? But he had seemed determined to rip her apart and he looked like a monster out of a horror movie.

What in the flying fuck was going on.

“But I-I…” Claire fumbled out before she sighed, taking after the woman who’s pace suddenly quickened once more footsteps joined theirs. Maybe following this woman would lead her to some answers and just as importantly, some safety.

“Stay close to me.” The brown haired woman instructed and Claire tried to keep her eyes locked on the woman’s short hair. However, she could not help but let her eyes stray to the disaster that was the city. The streets were surprisingly empty as they barreled through a back alley but she was soon greeted with a makeshift barricade that was barely keeping several of them at bay. The police must have made them by the looks of at least three police vehicles that were parked on the other side of the barricade.

“Where are we going?” Claire questioned a bit of frustration in her shaky tone. She heard a quiet sigh but before the woman answered, she carefully opened a door into what looked to be a bar. She was about to ask another question when the woman put a finger to her own lips making a shushing motion. Believing that it was for good reason, Claire remained tight lipped as they navigated through the bar, the light was still on in the bar but clearly nobody was home.

Seeming satisfied with something the woman in front of her walked around the bar counter.

“Shit.” She heard her say and she moved around the counter to see what the problem was. Clear as day there was a man lying there but he did not look anything like the deranged man that had attacked Claire. His throat was ripped out and blood was freshly dripping from the fatal wound.

“Did you know him?” Claire asked softly, noticing that the stranger in front of her was looking around the bar for something he was lying dead next too. That something, being a small key that reflected against the dim bar light when she pulled it out from its place next to the cash register.

“Yes, he was someone I knew.” She heard her say as she stood from the horrific scene to face Claire. Her voice was tinged with sadness, but her eyes were intense and focused which hit Claire like a freight train and she lost her thoughts for a second even though she knew she should be freaking out and panicking like a lunatic. Instead Claire let out a heavy and slow breath as she took the women in. It appeared as if this was something the other woman had seen before whereas Claire was trying to come to grips with seeing several dead bodies within minutes of each other.

“As for where we’re going, I am going to the police station. You can join me if you’d like, but I recommend leaving this fucking city.” She said in a gruff voice as she walked away to a door which led to somewhere Claire wasn’t sure of. When the brunette opened it she noticed it was a small office space which had several papers on the desk and a small white computer sitting atop it. Stepping around the body which she tried to put out of her mind Claire watched as she used the key to open a safe. With interest she noticed that there was a shotgun with shell casings inside. The money inside which wasn’t much was left untouched as the other woman pulled the shotgun out before proceeding to load it. As she did so, which took a long moment Claire took in her savior’s appearance having not been able to parcel out many details because of her prior shock. She was taller than average and she was slightly taller than Claire herself. She had extremely light blue eyes and full lips which caused Claire to blush as her eyes trailed down from her tanned face to her neck. Further down she noticed her skin which looked soft to the touch and she then took note of her outfit, a blue short sleeved shirt on top of a white tank top underneath. Her legs appeared toned as the blue jeans she was wearing displayed as such due to how tightly they hugged her legs and hips. There was a black holster on her shoulders and a strap on her leg for a knife that poked out slightly, as well as a black holster attached to her belt and hip. A couple of pouches were on her hips as well which seemed to be holding her handgun ammunition. She looked to be well prepared for whatever was happening and Claire was certain she has never seen anyone like her before.

Diverting her gaze which made her feel like a creep she worked on getting rid of the blush that was rising up her neck and past her ears. Looking away from a picture on the wall when she heard a click Claire tensed when she saw that the woman was aiming the barrel of the shotgun in her direction. She relaxed however when the brunette quickly lifted it upward and she attached it to the back of her shoulder holsters. Who was this woman and why did she look like a sexy one woman army?

“What’s your name Red?” The woman then questioned her hand finding the handgun like she had to have it in her hands at all times. Which seemed appropriate to Claire whose hand has yet to exactly move from her prized revolver.

“Why does everyone call me that?” Claire asked, a little disgruntled noticing a quirk of a smile, the first smile she has seen from the serious woman.

“My name is Claire, what’s yours?” She said crossing her arms and leaning against the door frame as she breathed in the smell of alcohol which seemed to permeate through the bar. It smelled better than most bars, she could give it that.

“It’s Jill.”

Jill Valentine’s footsteps thudded through the alley as she continued on straight faced and silent towards the Raccoon City police station with Claire.

“I’m looking for my brother.” She heard Claire say from behind her and it soon clicked in her mind. Claire Redfield? Jill connected it quickly having wondered since the semblance to Chris was striking as soon as she saw her. The main difference between them were their eyes which were actually differing in color. Chris’s were a hazel green whereas Claire had deep ocean blue eyes. Not that Jill spent a lot of time looking into people’s eyes but she learned the best way to gauge a person was to maintain eye contact. Even if it made the other person uncomfortable.

“I do not think he’s here.” Jill said gruffly, not even sparing Claire a glance as they trailed past a dead body laying against some trash. Wouldn’t he have told his sister to stay where she was? That seemed more like what Chris would do, but Claire did not exactly seem like the obedient type.

“He has to be here, he’s a cop for Christ's sake.” Claire insisted a bit of a fire in her tone that told Jill she did not appreciate her hopes being squashed. Reluctantly Jill told her what she was thinking.

“If he was smart he would have left the city.” Jill replied with a sigh, the police station was now in sight as they ventured closer. The distant moans of the undead rang through the air and Jill tensed stopping in place with Claire nearly running into her.

“Something’s wrong.” She whispered out looking down the street they were on. There was no one in sight and the desolate area only worked to set her on edge. She expected the station to be flooded with them because of the police’s active rescue signals. People were to report to the station for safety which unfortunately meant most of them were probably dead or infected by now.

“What is it?” Claire asked and Jill shifted feeling Claire’s warm breathe on her neck because of how close she was to her. Shortly after her question, they were greeted with a horrific howl that created the feelings of nausea and dread to settle in both of their stomachs.

“The K-9 units, fuck.” She swore aiming her gun in the direction of the howls but it worsened when she realized they were closing in on them. “Claire I am going to need you to have my back. If we need to run, we run like hell.” She told her watching the woman in the reddish-brown ponytail as she gulped nervously. Noticing this she moved to touch her wrist, their eyes locking when she did so. Something in her gut told her Claire knew how to shoot.

“You can do this.” She told her before a K-9 eventually came into view followed by another that was running as quickly as the first. Jill pushed both of them back and she aimed her gun shooting the first in the head and the second twice in the torso. It knocked the monstrosities back but the rotting dogs were soon back on all four paws. The dogs' clouded white eyes looked to Jill and she fired three more rounds before she tensed at hearing more barks. One thing she knew however was that as soon as one was down another would take its place.

From behind her she heard Claire shuffle away as a bloodied doberman leaped in her direction it’s frothing maul ready to chew anything it could get a hold of. Gladly she heard Claire’s revolver fire repeatedly and she looked to see the dog laying near Claire’s boots with it’s head practically blown off. This is when she noticed Claire had a .38 super in her hands. Touching her shoulder briefly Jill grabbed her arm and pulled her away with her so that they could leave before more dogs could join them. Jill fired one more shot towards the one on the ground before they went into a sprint towards the police station's main entrance.

“What the hell is going on Jill, what are these things?”

"They're infected with the T-Virus." Jill replied knowing it probably sounded absurd.

"Virus…this is caused by some pathogen?" Claire questioned sounding bewildered.

"I can explain more at the station." Jill said with a huff, halting her sprint when they encountered a large metal gate. Trying the handle she sighed knowing the dogs would catch their scent sooner rather than later. She leaned down in front of the metal door and she pulled out a silver lock pick so she could open it. She wrestled with the lock and she opened the gate after setting all of the pins.

"Wow, that's impressive." Claire complimented with a low whistle causing goosebumps to stand on Jill's arms. She offered a smile to her female companion as they entered. Shoving the metal bar to lock the gate Jill sighed briefly before she hurried the both of them forward not wanting to wait for more zombies to show up.

"We’re going to need to be quiet." Jill said, glancing at Claire when she heard her hum. Claire nodded seeming to think that sounded like a good idea. Steadying their breathing they walked into the station surveying the chaos that was in front of them.  



	2. Separation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the midst of the RPD, Claire and Jill become separated in their attempts to reach the S.T.A.R.S. Office. With fears running high and bullets running low, Claire struggles to find Jill before it is too late. Meanwhile Leon S. Kennedy arrives at the Raccoon City Police Department unaware of the state of the police force and the department.

“Jill! Where are you?” Claire yelled out before she covered her own mouth when her scream was met with horrid groans from the undead. Shoving a zombie that had once been a woman away from her she emptied her last bullet into the side of its face, the action resulting in the red blood spray painting a door that used to be white. Somehow in the midst of their searching within the police station, a freakishly large police station at that which used to be a museum much to Claire’s annoyance, they lost one another. It happened when they encountered a horribly pink and red creature with sharp claws and teeth, and a long twisting tongue. It looked like a monster out of Claire’s worst nightmares as far as she was concerned. Shivering Claire wiped from blood from her face and she opened her gun only to see there were no more bullets remaining. She was in trouble now, if she was not already and having just a knife in these shadowed hallways seemed like more trouble. 

The two women, before getting separated had been heading to the S.T.A.R.S. room within the precinct, but now she was utterly lost. Especially lost without Jill who seemed to know her way around here. Despite her heroics of earlier that night what if she had decided Claire was only slowing her down? Shaking the negative thoughts which swirled in her panic, Claire took deep breaths to center herself. Just like Chris had taught her, panicking helped no one in a dangerous situation. She could see his face now offering her that disarming smile as he gave her survival advice. He had grown paranoid that she would get hurt if he was not there to protect her, but they both knew he could not stay and baby his sister forever. It was years ago and Claire took his lessons to heart, but she could imagine how disappointed Chris would be when he found out about her reckless decision to come searching for him in Raccoon City. 

“I will just remind you it’s your fault, Chris. You worried me sick and now I’m stuck in the stupid zombie apocalypse all by myself.” Claire huffed brushing some hair from her face trying to assuage her own worries and fears the further she delved into the reaches of the creepily stoic building she was within. Before the infection, she was certain many police officers walked through these halls solving crimes and booking in bad guys, that is until the real bad guys showed up. The kind that did not discriminate in who they devoured. 

“Oh, you’re talking to yourself now.” She whispered out her grip on her knife tightening when she heard a loud thud and what sounded like concrete crumbling to her far right. Since Claire was located in the middle of an intersection she jerked her head to the right, her blue eyes widening at what she was seeing. Her heart thumped hard against her chest and her body moved of its own accord acting out of her usual urge to get the hell away from whatever she was looking at. Hearing loud footsteps against the wooden floor, she swore the weight of the man alone made the walls around her rumble. Claire pushed herself into a hurried sprint, holding in screams as she was chased full speed by a man that had to be at least 7 feet tall. The man in the dark trench coat kept on in a sprint after Claire however and she heard his quiet roars as he arched his gigantic fist in an attempt to punch the daylights out of her. 

“Fuck you!” Claire swore dodging another punch as she kept up her sprint glad now that she maintained her gym membership in College. She reacted when he managed to inch in on her and Claire flexed her right arm before she ran her knife horizontal to his fist. Managing a slight cut, blood spilled onto the floor but it seemed to enrage him more than it worked to achieve damage against it. Flicking the knife into its sheath, Claire gulped and she ducked with sweat dripping from her face as his other fist passed over where her head had been. Time seemed to slow in the intense moment and Claire arched her body backward and she managed a backflip from her momentum, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she got some distance from the tyrant. Leaning down Claire’s hand landed on the floor before she picked her body back up trying her best to ignore the burn of her muscles since she knew this was going to be the run of her life. 

“What do you want me for?” Claire questioned receiving a dark and blank grey stare in response before Mr. X seemed to reanimate slowing to a swift walk instead of a run. Expelling out air quickly Claire searched around and she avoided zombies as found stairs. Making a quick dart up them, she made a quick right into a door finding that she was now within a locker room. She could hear water spilling from broken sinks and showers and she slipped inside ignoring the cold touch of the water as she tried to become as small as possible. Most of the doors to her misfortune were broken or creaky when she attempted to close them so she hoped to whatever deity that existed that giant man would stray away from her location. Gripping onto her feather necklace Claire closed her eyes and she listened to the sounds of his footsteps which to her immediate relief sounded like they were fading away into somewhere distant. Unsure of her luck, Claire stepped out from the shower but she stumbled due to the spilling water. Keeping quiet despite her instinct to make a sound she extended her hands out towards the wall to keep from falling and making a sound that would bring back his undivided attention. Exhaling slowly Claire exited out of the shower and she stepped into the next room nearby. Since she was now soaked to the bone because of the shower she shivered a little and she could tell that she was dripping water all over the floor. Remaining silent the woman in the red jacket moved to search the lockers, joy alighting across her features when she found .38 ammunition and a grenade. Perhaps in a twisted sort of way, she did have luck on her side. 

As soon as that thought left her mind however the thudding returned and she braced for an unwanted visitor. Only she heard a door slam open from nearby and she lifted her head in that direction, visibly tensing when she heard Jill’s voice yell out. Groaning because of her dread at seeing Mr. X again, Claire slid open the cylinder of her revolver and she piled the bullets in before she closed it and slid back the hammer. Determined and feeling confident despite having no idea if Jill was even alive, Claire barreled away from the direction she had fled and she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Using the sound of gunfire as her compass, Claire slammed open the next door only for her momentum to slide her directly into the creature from before. Screaming in surprise she landed beside it earning a thrash from one of it’s claws. Fire erupted on the right side of her body and an agonizing pain rippled through her arm at the attack. Three lacerated cuts became a crimson red against her peach colored skin. 

Unable to speak Claire hollered out in pain before she lifted up her cocked revolver and she fired directly at its head. Pulling the trigger three consecutive times, two of the three bullets lodged into the Licker’s exposed brain and it roared like a beast before it writhed on the ground, dead with blood spilling from the large hole Claire had created in its head. Shifting up from the ground she had been kneeling on she touched her arm and she looked down at her hand to see crimson blood as it dripped down to the floor. Shocked but alert she went back into action when she heard the cracking of wood and the sound of gunfire from within the S.T.A.R.S. room. 

Jill pulled the trigger and adjusted for the high recoil as she sprayed Mr. X down with her semi-automatic. The barrage of bullets worked to deter the giant but he merely deflected a majority of the bullets with his fist and arm. Sensing her immediate defeat, Jill continued to unload on him within the small office blinking with some of the shots as the bullets ricocheted throughout the office. Pausing for a couple of seconds an empty cartridge fell to the floor in quick succession. Reloading another magazine with a swift click and pull, Jill's finger moved from the trigger when he managed to reach for her. Having jumped over a desk Mr. X’s giant fist slammed down and broke the desk in half. The snapping of the wood entered Jill’s ears but she focused on the door that opened and to her surprise she saw Claire with her revolver pointed towards Mr. X and a grenade in her other hand. 

Red hair flooded her vision as Jill tumbled into Claire. Before she was knocked out of the room, Claire arched her arm and she released the pin throwing the frag into the room. Having thought quickly Jill covered Claire with her body in case any of the fragments managed to explode through the wooden door. Listening for the sound of the explosion Jill tensed against the woman under her and she felt a small graze of fragment cut across her back as if she was being sliced open by a centimeter of hot iron. Not feeling anything enter her body or worse Jill opened her eyes back open to find Claire staring up at her with shock and surprise. A warmth pervaded her senses at the feeling of Claire’s body heat but soon she realized the wetness she was feeling was from two things. Water from Claire’s jacket and a crimson red which was now covering the hand she had gripped Claire with when she grabbed her. Noticing a flicker of pain on Claire’s features, Jill grew concerned and she lifted up from Claire to assess the damage of her wound. Appearing as if she was breathing heavily, Jill lifted her up to get a better look at Claire’s arm but quickly Claire stopped her with her hand. 

“Uh, he’s not dead Jill.” She breathed out with horror and unpleasant shivers worked down Jill’s spine when she noticed the shadow that was blocking the light she had previously used to look Claire over. Sensing his closeness her back and arm muscles tensed as she thought over what move they could make to escape. Glancing quickly from the corner of her eye she noticed parts of his coat were missing and charred from the explosion. 

“I need you to roll with me in 3, 2, 1…” Jill called out calmly and Claire did so both of the woman dodging a stomp Mr. X made in an attempt to crush them beneath his feet. Being met with air and the floor he cracked the wood but the tyrant managed to avoid weakening the wood completely. Hefting up from the floor Jill and Claire ran together in the direction of the lounge, roars and rumbles following behind them in his typical unrelenting pace. 

“Fuck he’s relentless.” Jill commented pulling out her shotgun when a zombie appeared, his rotten hand outstretched towards Jill when they ran by. Shooting the zombie that tried to grab her she propelled him back into the wall in a swift splat. They carried on with their running until they entered enough doors for Mr. X to halt his chase since he no longer knew where the two women were. 

“He’s...hah, worse than my mom when she wanted me to try on dresses.” Claire joked out between breaths giving Jill a look when the other women did not appear as out of breath. Chuckling softly Jill appreciated the slight levity and she accessed the room they were within realizing in their attempts to elude the tyrant they had gone to the dark room. She knew the room still had film being developed from the latest murder so she flicked the light switch to illuminate the darkness they were in. Around the room was a wardrobe and a typewriter set beside on a table to the right of it, and to Jill’s delight ammunition for her samurai edge. Stuffing the ammo into a pouch she paused upon noticing Claire’s fruitless search for ammo for her revolver. 

“Here Claire…” Jill whispered out sneaking up on Claire who startled at Jill appearing behind her so silently. Watching the red headed woman turn to look at her, a wide smile grew on Claire’s face upon seeing the shotgun. 

“Think you know how to handle it?” Jill questioned in a slight tease in which Claire grabbed it from her grip, insisting more forcefully when Jill did not immediately let go of the double barrelled gun. Their fingers brushed at the exchange and Jill moved to sit on the desk with the typewriter so she could look over her remaining inventory due to the momentary peace they had settled in. 

She remained focused and silent as she thought of the available first aid she had on her person, it was not much in the grand scheme of things but she knew she had to treat Claire’s gashes that the Licker had inflicted. Feeling responsible because of their accidental separation, anger settled and pooled within Jill’s stomach at having failed someone else. 

“Jill...thank you for saving me.” Claire said interrupting her thoughts and bringing her back to the present and away from the memories that threatened to cloud her mind. Light blue eyes locked with blue and they held their stare, a new understanding passing between perfect strangers when Jill shifted to tend to Claire’s arm. Requiring Claire to remove her beloved jacket, she watched with slight bemusement as Claire lamented over the red leather’s damage. 

“It’s a one of a kind jacket, you know? It's priceless! This is how you get on my shit-list.” She grumbled out her breathing shallowing as Jill’s fingers grazed the sensitive skin of her arm. Jill was smothering her cuts with something green and Claire closed her eyes as Jill worked. Hissing slightly Jill apologized to her and the ex-officer continued to wrap Claire’s arm as she tried to keep from staring at the soft edges of Claire’s face. Her heart picked up its pace as if she was in danger when she felt Claire tiredly lean against her when the process was done. Confusedly Jill sat up from her awkward position, but she caught Claire with her arm when she nearly fell off the desk. She noticed Claire’s face alight with embarrassment. Keeping her hand rested on Claire’s soft shoulder Jill gave her a small kind smile. 

“Thank you Claire, that was a pretty good move you pulled.” She commented sincerely having felt impressed with Claire’s moxie when she ran into the room and threw in the grenade to stop Mr. X from crushing Jill under his fists. “You got me out of a do or die situation.” She went on sucking up her pride since she knew it was true that she had run out of ideas on how to escape while stuck in the office with the monster. 

“You would have done the same for me.” Claire replied with a bashful smile that made Jill feel warm. Figuring it to be the intensity of what they had just experienced, Jill sat next to Claire on the chair next to the desk and she reloaded her handgun while she watched Claire from the corner of her eye. 

“Yes, I would have.” She replied after a beat returning to her usual stoic expression when a distant explosion rocketed throughout the Raccoon City Police Department. Knowing they would have to see to it, Jill regarded Claire with a nod and she watched as Claire slipped on her jacket with the shotgun locked and loaded. 

“Come on.” She urged holding up her samurai edge before she beelined out of the dark room. 

A violent roar of an engine filled his ears and the man groaned covering one of his ears as he glanced up into the night sky and its glimmering stars. The beauty of it was interrupted however by the horror of the burning helicopter that was spinning out of control directly towards the building he was seeking refuge inside of. 

“Oh no.” Leon whispered out as the helicopter lost its fight with gravity and it crashed into the side of the police station. A bright orange ball of fire greeted him and it briefly lit up the surrounding buildings and apartments nearby. The young rookie advanced forward despite the growing number of corpses moving around in hopes that someone made it alive out of the crash. Leon quickened his pace and he kept a tight two handed grip on his handgun, pausing once he saw the result of the crash. There was no way anyone could survive a crash like that, he thought holding in his vomit from the sheer brutality of the night already. Not only has he had runs in with the undead in the streets all of which have groaned and stumbled after him in their attempts to eat him but he was now seeing more people die from whatever craziness has taken hold of Raccoon City. 

“This is so screwed up.” Leon remarked aloud blinking when the skies began to rain which coated his blood covered uniform and many of the fires through the city with rain. It failed to snuff out most of them which he could see were still intensely burning in the night. Blocking his face from the smoke that was admitting from the helicopter he backed up jumping when a zombie reached to grab his leg. Kicking at it he aimed his gun and fired at its head painting the wet ground with red as he did so. Not wishing to stay outside any longer he went to the gate the crash damaged, and he climbed over it missing a part of the metal that had been sticking upward. Cutting his left hand in the process of his climb he held it to his side, the ooze of his blood dripping down onto him and the ground as he walked. Leon decided to count his blessings, and he would search for bandages for his other wounds once he made it out of the rain.  
Stepping past the gate he moved to the door surprised when he touched it that it was already open. Counting it as luck, which he was clearly lacking, he pressed on forward trying to adjust to the darkness with the help of some moonlight that filtered in through the windows. Lost since he was not familiar with the Raccoon City Police Station, Leon carefully crept from corner to corner watching for any undead that might be lurking in the shadows. To his relief, most of the zombies he came across were not getting up even when he moved to kick them in the torso or head to make certain of it. To Leon’s misfortune however when he made it to the main foyer a multitude of zombies were within it. Ducking passed several of them he shoved one off of him before shooting it in the chest and head several times. Emptying his clip on another that was blocking his pathway Leon jumped at the sound of gunshots that were not his own. 

“Hello?! Is anyone alive?!” Leon shouted out desperate to find someone else who was living and breathing. Reloading a magazine into his issued handgun he straightened his footing realizing his boots were still slick from the rain. 

“Hello?!” He shouted once more when he no longer heard the gunshots. What the blonde man did not expect was to be face to face with a barrel of a gun and he immediately lifted up his arms when a woman came into view. 

“I’m a friendly...I mean I am a RPD officer ma’am!” He squeaked out frantically. 

"Who are you?" Jill asked, insisting on keeping the gun trained to his head despite his answer. Claire frowned in response to this tactic and she gently tapped Jill's shoulder catching the attention of Leon who had not noticed her until she stepped out from behind Jill. 

"His chest says RPD Jill..." She remarked, "I do not think he is lying." She whispered upon receiving a glare from Jill. Sighing in response Jill lowered her gun but she remained in front of Claire who did not appear to notice. Gulping slightly Leon let out a sigh of relief until Jill's serious stare trained on Leon's hand. 

"How did you hurt your hand?" She questioned with authority likely scaring the daylights out of the rookie. Understanding how it could be received Leon backpedaled. 

"No no! I caught my hand on a gate climbing over and..." Leon said, clearing his throat, "I am Leon Kennedy, the newest recruit of RPD." Jill merely gave him a once over while Claire offered him a pleasant smile. 

"It is good to know someone else has survived, I'm Claire and this is Jill." She said in a cheerful tone that seemed almost inappropriate for the atmosphere of the dark main foyer they were standing within. 

"It's a shitty time to have a first day kid." Jill said abruptly, "I'm afraid your welcoming party is all gone." She remarked with a weak smile when Leon appeared shocked. 

"All of them?" The man in blue questioned with remorse and guilt simmering in his gaze. Glancing away in response Jill's gaze honed in on a zombie in particular. The zombie had on a brown uniform and he was stumbling towards them slowly with that same horrendous howl each of the undead had. Blinking rapidly Jill raised her gun towards him directing the other's attention to him. 

"Almost all of them."


	3. Desperation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill, Claire, and Leon struggle to stay together and alive as they battle Mr. X and the situation thickens when they discover a little girl named Sherry who has been hiding within the station. Finding out Umbrella is responsible for the outbreak from Jill, they convince Sherry to tell them the whereabouts of her mother who they think may be the cause of the release of the T-Virus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the chapter does not feel like it is a repeat of the game. I did go a bit slow in regards to plot progression in order to have sweet, fluffy Jill and Claire moments. I hope you enjoy it and the new twist of having Leon present to effect the dynamic.

“I don’t want to go out there.” Claire remarked tucking a loose strand behind her ear as she starred ahead at the foreboding entrance. Beside her stood her only comrades at the moment both of which looked like they had just gone through hell and back. Claire was certain she did not look any better herself, with her ripped jacket and the blood that remained a sticky reminder of the gore she’s had to witness and be a part of for what felt like hours on end. 

“In case you haven’t noticed Claire, we do not have very many options right now.” The blonde officer to her left said with a tired sigh. He was grabbing his stomach which must have been painfully lurching since an hour ago he got knocked into wall by Mr. X. who conveniently showed up after all of the gunfire. He was drawn directly into the main foyer they were in and Claire had no time to warn anybody as he shoved several zombies in his pathway before he came upon the blonde in front of her. To her regret Mr. X managed to knock the wind out of Leon before she and Jill could warn him. Distracting the ugly bastard with their bullets she felt some pride that they could get back into another cat and mouse game with the giant so they could give Leon enough time to recover and join the fight. 

“And you feel that you are adequately equipped to handle them all?” Jill remarked, earning a groan from Leon who’s temperament did not exactly match with Jill’s which simmered underneath a pail of ice since she seemed to remain scarily calm even in the worst of circumstances. Glancing to Jill, Claire felt her face burn when Jill looked at her at the exact same moment. Giving her a goofy smile Jill raised an eyebrow which caused giggles of all things to bubble in Claire’s chest. Coughing to cover them up, Claire tried to maintain her cool like a badass. Being in the middle of a damn outbreak with less ammo than she had patience with the undead, however, made it rather difficult.

“Perhaps you’re right...” Leon replied, checking his gun to see his magazine was half full. Having watched his Lieutenant get shot by Jill had been jarring but Claire noticed that he took it like a champ all considering. 

“Those things are all over the damn place and I am going to need more firepower.” He went on pausing when Jill held up a brown mixture in her hand, “You need to treat yourself now with this. We are not going to waste any more time discussing this.” The brunette said briskly before she made her way back within the police station with the swiftness of a leopard. Licking her dry lips Claire gave Leon a shrug before she hurried after Jill, catching up with her as she walked up the stairs past a zombie that was crawling on the ground. Claire was holding her knife firmly in case it ventured too close. They had decided the best strategy would be to minimize the usage of their guns as much as possible to avoid more run-ins with the tyrant weapon. 

“Shouldn’t we wait for Leon?” She questioned feeling caught off guard when Jill pulled her by her hand to the top of the stairwell. Finding enjoyment in the warm feeling of Jill’s strong grip and calloused hand, she snapped back to reality once Jill let her hand go. Gulping when Jill’s intense gaze found her own again she bit her lip as she waited for Jill to explain the hurry. 

“I do not know him and I do not trust him.” Jill started crossing her arms while she tapped her foot. This action brought Claire’s attention to the hanging semi-automatic weapon that was hanging across her torso and was sliding down her thigh as she moved. Glancing to Leon who was still trying to spread the mixture underneath his chestplate, Claire’s eyes moved back to Jill’s. 

“Why not, you seem to trust me?” She laughed out signaling to the shotgun on her back with her index finger. Surprised to see Jill’s gaze move from hers she tried to decipher the emotion in her eyes only for it to flicker away within an instant. Receiving a smirk unique to Jill, she could not help but feel her cheeks become pink with heat in an instant. 

“You’re a lot cuter than he is Claire.” She heard Jill say and oodles of nervousness bubbled at the statement. Shocked by the comment Claire stammered for a response, 

“U-Uh.” Claire blurted out receiving a smile from Jill that should be illegal because of how good it made her feel. Watching Jill run a hand through her short hair the excitement in her gut tripled when Jill looked back at her. 

“But seriously…” She went on Claire figuring she must have imagined the redness on Jill’s face, “Please be careful around him until we know we can trust him.” 

Nodding slowly in response Claire tensed when Leon came up behind them. 

“Alright, do either of you know where I could get some more gear?” She heard him say as he gave them a dimpled smile that she would have perceived as cute in the past. Matching it up with Jill’s though, Claire felt the woman topped the charts in being charming without trying. Shaking her head from her dangerously silly thoughts Claire let out a short breath when Jill stepped beside her. 

“Follow me.” Jill said, her voice seeming to deepen the more serious she got. 

The brunette rammed her body into the door repeatedly to no avail, the door would not budge despite her attempts at forcing it open. Rubbing her arm from impact, Jill glanced to the two of them with a sign. They were running out of time and the licker would be there any minute and she knew they would not have enough time for her to break in the old fashioned way. 

“Leon, can you promise me something?” Jill suddenly asked, catching his attention immediately when she spoke his name. Shifting closer Leon nodded his head as he waited tensely for her to continue speaking. 

“If I were to...if I were to die, would you protect her?” She whispered moving away from his ear and ignoring the curious glances from Claire who was watching around for threats that could sneak up on them. 

Seeming momentarily stunned Jill’s gaze bore into his own blue eyes until he gave her a nod in reply, “Yes.” He stated simply the idea of Jill dying sounding horrific. He did not know the connection between Jill and Claire, but they seemed close and he doubted that Claire would let her go so easily. Appearing placated by his answer Jill lifted up her handgun before she walked to stand next to Claire. 

“Don’t come after me.” She said with a stern expression noticing Claire’s content expression as it shifted into horror when Jill ran off into a quick sprint exactly where the Licker was growling and threatening to tear its next victim apart. 

“Jill what the hell?” Claire yelled out unknowingly alerting a worse enemy to their location. Covering her mouth when she heard the stomps she looked back to Leon who was hitting the door with the force of a battering ram until he managed to break it open. Signaling for Claire to follow him she did so despite the internal battle raging within her. She wanted to go after Jill and stop her from putting herself in danger for their sake. 

Sliding inside she closed the door as he worked to unlock the small doors which contained various equipment they could use. Hearing various beeps as doors shifted from a red to green, Claire kept busy as she opened and grabbed up whatever she could find. She attached a pouch to her side and she snatched up shotgun ammo gladly. To her delight, Leon managed to unlock another shotgun which she grabbed and tossed to the blonde who was standing behind her. 

With her heart beating with his footsteps Jill came face to face with the licker who immediately thrashed out with its tongue in an attempt to impale her with it. Dodging the flesh appendage, Jill flicked up her knife and cut part of it off with a swift flick of her wrist. Roaring in pain the Licker’s tongue retreated and it leaped to the ceiling before Jill could strike again. Holding her body low she raised her head and tried to watch its movements in the shadows. Having some trouble locating it, Jill moved to the wall and she pressed her body against it only for the licker to catch her by surprise. Shifting into a fall Jill rolled forward dodging another strike from the Licker when it slashed with its sharp claws. 

Looking over at the horrific being she aimed her handgun rapidly shooting at until she emptied all 15 of her shots into the ugly monster’s body and head. Breathing heavily she allowed her arm to fall to her side once the Licker fell to the floor dying in its own blood. Thankful for its swift death she reached into a pouch on her hip and she prepared to reload but upon hearing loud footsteps she was unable to before Mr. X appeared in the hallway. Glaring at Mr. X with contempt Jill lifted up her semi-automatic as she tested the weapon by shooting it into his torso. The bullets managed to enter Mr. X but he remained largely unphased. Growing annoyed with his apparent indestructibility, Jill pulled out her knife before she motioned for the large man to come for her. 

He did as such and she waited for the moment he was in front of her before she performed a cartwheel kick directly into his face. Luckily he fell backwards from the unexpected attack and she continued parries with her knife finding anywhere she could dig it into before she performed more strong kicks into his sides. She was able to push him back with each assault but she could not avoid the grab of his hand because of how close she was. Feeling a painfully tight grip on her neck she dropped her knife as she grabbed at his fist. She soon felt her body be weightlessly lifted and she hissed as an intense fire shot through her neck as Mr. X choked her.

Knowing he was going to choke her to death if she did not retaliate Jill reached towards the sub machine gun on her hip as her eyes tried to roll to the back of her head. Managing a kick to his chest despite being held high in the air, his grip slackened and she pointed the barrel of the gun to his head. 

“Time for you to fuck off.” Jill growled out with hatred firing directly into his face the barrage of bullets entering parts of his face while he howled in pain. Dropping Jill from his tight grip she gasped for air, the burn reminding her of when she was hit by bits of the grenade from earlier. Shifting down to the floor she grabbed the knife with the S.T.A.R.S. engraving before she lifted her body up. Looking up at Mr. X’s disfigurement she did not wait for him to reanimate his attacks before she sprinted away her legs burning from the exertion as she pushed her body to its limit. Not halting when she came across a zombie officer, Jill let out heavy breaths when she saw Claire and Leon within an office she nearly ran past. 

Stopping to catch her breath, Jill set her hands against the door taking notice of the blood on her hands that was not her own. Shifting to look up she took note of a sign that said, ‘Welcome Leon…’ Only for Jill to find her stomach knot with worry when her vision blurred. 

“Jill!” She heard Claire shout and she felt her frustration grow when she collapsed in front of her. Apparently the near death moment with the tyrant had taken more out of her then she thought. 

“I-I’m fine.” Jill coughed out regretting it as soon as she did as her throat raged with irritation. Grabbing her neck she hefted her own body up but she soon found her body falling into something soft. Which she could tell was Claire because of the strong grip on her shoulders and the smell of gunpowder and leather. Jill felt content upon being surrounded by this smell and her eyes threatened to close when Claire moved to support her weight. Hearing the groans of zombies, Jill’s eyes slammed open and she tensed painfully when she saw a shadow behind Claire. 

“Claire…” She whispered out, “Behind you.” She started lifting her handgun only to hear the dreadful click of empty. Realizing her mistake Jill tried to push Claire away but it was too late. A groan entered her ears as the zombie raised its head to take a bite out of Claire. The redhead let out a scream of surprise when she was grabbed but she kept hold of Jill, pulling her against her body when she saw Leon approach. 

With a swiftness she was glad of Leon slammed a knife through the dead man’s eye and he shoved him off of Claire. Aiming his shotgun he fired it at his head splattering his flesh and brains all over the floor. This room in particular was going to be his workroom but now it was a room full of misery and death. 

Shifting off of Claire, Jill managed to stand her heart hammering against her chest at the feeling of Claire’s hand on her side. 

“Are you okay?” The redhead asked and she felt her stomach fill with an unknown emotion when she saw the look of concern in Claire’s eyes. 

“I’m alright…” Jill replied letting her eyes close for a moment as she sucked in a breath at her daring move that she knew upset Claire. “Are you alright?” She proceeded to ask hyper aware that Claire has yet to let go of her even though she was standing perfectly fine on her own. 

“No.” Claire blurted out, finally letting go of Jill so she could breathe properly. Appearing affronted Jill looked at Claire in silence as Claire gripped her shoulders. 

“You could have gotten yourself killed!” She ranted the bark of her tone reminding her of Chris whenever he would lose his temper. It subtly amused her at the comparison as Claire went on about her reckless heroics. 

“Claire.” Jill stated in the midst of Claire’s impassioned speech but the redhead continued while her face burned with barely contained rage. 

“And what would I do without you? Hmm, you’d leave me all alone in this mess?” Claire barked out and Jill gave her a blank stare in response. 

“Claire.” She repeated shivering when Claire’s hands slid down her arms on their own accord. The intimate gesture caught her off guard but she said nothing of it as she moved to grab Claire’s shirt aware of Leon who was looking off in another direction while Claire yelled at her. 

Pulling Claire into her by her black tank top, she was suddenly silent when Jill’s lips grazed her left ear. 

“I’m not going to let anything happen to you, okay?” She whispered out low enough for the woman in front of her to hear. Halting her speech due to Jill’s bold move, Claire slumped in defeat appearing much calmer when Jill actually wrapped her arms around her in a hug. 

Tensing only slightly, Claire wrapped her own arms around Jill, her fingers grazing Jill’s warm skin as they found their place on her back. The strength and muscle Jill had was evident once she tightened her hold having obviously completely surprised Claire who did not squeeze back until a moment later. Jill listened to Claire’s calm breathing and a tiredness filtered in her movements since she allowed her body to lean into Claire who was short enough that she had to lean her head down to her shoulder. Keeping a hold on Claire for a little while longer Jill noticed Leon who she shot a glare practically daring him to say something about this moment. Seeming to get the message Leon looked away again in a bashful motion. 

Dazed due to the surprise comfort Claire felt a coldness invade her when Jill stopped hugging her. Missing her touch she enjoyed the last bit of it by taking in Jill’s perfume which reminded her of the beach and of guns since gunpowder was not something either of them could escape. Glad for the brief escape from rot and death, Claire sighed softly once the three of them gathered up their gear and made a descent to the front doors of the department. However, the hurry towards the doors were halted when they heard a loud scream. 

Shocked to hear another human being the three of them looked around alert. 

“It came from that way.” Claire semi-shouted running off towards what she thought was the library. Entering into the well-lit area, Claire’s ears almost felt like they were bleeding because of how loud the screams were piercing through the air. Worried that it was someone being killed she carried on after the sound shock chilling her spine when she saw Mr. X was reaching after someone who had wedged themselves between some bookshelves. 

“Hey asshole!” She yelled out with aggression pulling out her double barrel as if it was a rocket launcher. Catching his attention, piercing white eyes looked into hers while he twirled his large body around with his same stupid hat still placed upon his grey head. Before the sight of him had taken the breath away from her but now after numerous encounters she only felt disgust and anger well its way into her chest. She was already getting tired of seeing his ugly face. Stomping after Claire, Mr. X crushed a zombie during his walk and he knocked another to the ground in his effort to get to her. 

Noticing the scars of red on his face Claire’s eyebrows raised when he propelled his body forward in a fast sprint she had not seen him do before. Yelling in surprise Claire dodged it in a quick roll away from his sailing fist. Falling in front of where the screams had come from she was shocked to see a little girl who looked to be shivering within the shelves. Cracks were evident on the sides of the wood where Mr. X had tried to wedge his way after her. 

“Hey! It’s going to be okay.” Claire called out in a soothing tone even when Mr. X appeared behind her. Noticing the shadow over her Claire braced for a punch and it did impact her knocking her into a shelf from the force of his punch. Feeling foolish for sprinting ahead of Jill and Leon, she winced in pain as the air left her lungs. Coughing up blood Claire lifted up slowly fearing shooting through her when he swung another fist towards her. Lowering her body just in time he hit the shelf above her head punching a hole and dropping several books into a pile next to her. Angered by his assault Claire hefted up the shotgun and she pulled the trigger the force of the buck shot knocking Mr. X backwards. He did not fall down to her disappointment but she could see that he was now in a defensive stance as he lifted his arm to protect his extremities. Knowing she probably had a broken rib Claire hesitantly stood up from the ground groaning in pain as her chest burned horribly. She kept her shotgun aimed as she fired used to the recoil as the second shot pushed him back further. Moving to put in more shells, Claire backed away from him once he lifted his arm away and went back to his usual offensive stance. 

“Why will you not just die already?” Claire sighed out clicking her shotgun together once she loaded it with more shell casings. She heard the little girl scream once he pushed his heavy body after Claire prepared for another strike when she darted away sliding into the opening the girl was in with ease. Her breath quicking because of the tight space and she struggled to push her slim body further into where the girl was trying to hide. She could not tell her features due to the darkness but she moved to touch the girl’s head to assure her. 

“I’m not going to hurt you, my name is Claire.” She said wincing when Mr. X’s face came into view. The little girl who was now clutching her hand screamed in terror at seeing him again and it only worsened once he tried to reach in to grab Claire. 

“No!” Claire screamed out when he grabbed at her shotgun, the gun dropping to the library floor next to him as they struggled within the extremely tight space. Claustrophobia would have normally bothered Claire but she ignored it due to her fear of dying instead. 

“Please no!” The girl wailed in fear obviously crying as Claire shifted closer to her. Other undead were walking towards them adding to the chaos as flimsy arms attempted to enter into space the two of them were within. 

“Where is Jill?” Claire questioned closing her eyes so she could no longer see her impending death. The woman had become so important to her in such a short amount of time and she did not even know her last name or anything about her. Claire found that she really wanted to get to know Jill and she felt it was awful unfair of the universe to let her meet Jill only for their time to be cut terribly short. Then there was a little girl underneath her who had been alone and terrified, she did not deserve to die. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Claire whispered out hugging the blonde girl to her leg as the growls of the undead flooding their ears. Suddenly the beautiful sound of gunfire rang through the air and Claire caught her breath upon seeing most of the undead shrink away to attack the others. Mr. X even halted his attempts to reach Claire when Leon ran over shooting the tyrant with his shotgun repeatedly. The shell casings, bent and black fell to the floor but it seemed to enrage Mr. X who ran after Leon full speed. Seeing this Leon hefted up a ladder behind him dodging swipes from Mr. X’s large hand. Managing to escape Mr. X, Claire’s breathing picked up its pace when she saw Jill from the space she was in. 

She watched with amazement as Jill did a jump past most of the bodies on the ground, the momentum from jumping from a bookshelf sending Jill into the air in a flip. Stunned by her athletic prowess, Jill landed beside Mr. X who she did not appear afraid of. Landing several kicks and punches into him, Jill knocked him to the ground before she shot him directly in the head. 

He seemed down for the count to Claire’s utter surprise and his arm slumped to the ground where he lay unmoving. Unsure of it, Jill circled him and she looked around until she spotted Claire. Feeling safe enough to get out she shoved her body out from between the bookshelves pausing when she felt a small hand grab onto her jacket sleeve. 

“Can I come with you?” A small voice asked and her heart tinged with compassion at hearing the request. Leaning down to match the girl’s height Claire gave her a gentle nod, smiling upon seeing the girl for the first time when she scooted out of the bookshelves to join her. She was not as small as she had seemed before and her height stopped at Claire’s hip. She had short blonde hair, a blue dress with white sleeves and a golden locket which shined under the bright lights of the library. 

“What’s your name?” They heard Jill question in a soft tone, the both of them looking to Jill when she walked over to them. Shyly the blonde girl shuffled close to Claire as she ducked her head to answer. 

“My name is Sherry Birkin…” 

“That’s a pretty name, my name is Jill Valentine.” Jill answered back, receiving a shy smile from Sherry. Looking up at Jill, her light blue gaze shifted to Claire. 

“And you’re Claire?” 

“The one and only.” Claire said enthusiastically, glad to hear Sherry’s laugh since she thought no one appreciated her jokes. Jill rolled her eyes playfully at that which Claire took notice of but she paused upon feeling Sherry tug at her jacket. 

“Yeah?” She asked, missing the sounds of footsteps, until Leon appeared holding onto his side where he hurt. 

“Who are you?” The blonde girl asked, appearing fearful of him. Not understanding as to why, Leon stepped forward but Sherry stepped back in response retreating into her shell. Taking notice Leon stopped walking and he bent to the floor to face her but with enough distance so that she was not scared of him.  
“I’m Leon and I am a police officer.” He said hoping that would make him seem less intimidating. It did not lessen Sherry’s fear but she calmed a bit and she offered him a weak smile. 

“Are you here to help us?” Sherry innocently asked her head tilting upward when Jill and Claire shared a laugh. Affronted Leon frowned at them and he nodded his head slowly at Sherry. 

“Yeah, I’m here to help you so don’t worry.” He said with a kind smile which worked to calm some of Sherry’s apparent nerves. 

“Thank you for stopping that big scary man.” She went on to say to Jill as they all walked together out of the library. Jill and Claire remained with Sherry as Leon scouted ahead of them with his shotgun raised. 

“Of course…” Claire said unsure of which of them she was speaking too. She blushed when Sherry shook her head and she pointed at Jill. Chuckling softly Jill offered a small smile. 

“No problem kid, it’s sort of my job.” This comment however raised questions for Claire who looked at her confusedly. Taking notice of this she squinted when Jill glanced away from her. 

Entering back into the foyer each of them sighed collectively as they walked to the main entrance. 

“Where are your parents?” Claire eventually asked to fill in the silence that fell in as they all walked. 

“I...I don’t know…” Sherry whispered in reply, her blue eyes swimming with her sadness. 

“Do you need help finding them?” She asked next, pausing when Sherry shook her head rapidly. 

“T-They’re in the sewers. Mom told me to find a place to hide and so I did and I ended up in the police station.” Raising a brow Claire and Jill shared a glance. 

“Why are they in the sewers?” Jill questioned checking on her handgun once they stepped outside. It was raining which was still dousing the city while dark and furious clouds rumbled above them. Shivering at the sudden cold Sherry stepped towards Claire to share in her warmth. 

“My mom and dad are doctors…” Sherry answered shying away when Jill glanced down at her. She appeared afraid due to this line of questioning so Jill and Claire left it alone for now. 

“This way.” Leon whispered out motioning them towards the left with his arm. Following him the women gasped upon seeing the helicopter crash. Jill tilted her head curiously and she walked purposefully with a strong grip on her handgun as she looked over the helicopter. Anger tightened her grip when she saw the familiar red and white umbrella symbol on the side of the helicopter. Most of the metal was bent and molted because of the explosion but the symbol was unmistakable to Jill. 

“Jill?” She heard Claire question and she turned to look at her and her gaze then shifted to Sherry and Claire again. 

“Have you ever heard of the Umbrella Corporation?” She questioned with venom her attention being caught by Sherry who visibly tensed in fear. 

“Uh no, what is it?” Claire replied unaware of Jill’s intent until she pointed to the helicopter. 

“They’re the ones responsible for this. They’re what exposed the people of Raccoon City to the T-Virus.” She was intense with her speech and she could see that Sherry was shaking where she stood. 

“I cannot believe it…” Claire gasped with a hand to her face in shock, “And how did you find this out Jill?” Claire questioned her red hair clinging to her face as it was soaked from the rain. Leon remained silent where he stood behind her taking in what Jill was saying. 

Hesitantly Jill decided to tell them the truth but she was interrupted by Sherry who suddenly grabbed onto Jill’s taunt arm. 

“They’re not all bad, my mom did not mean for it to get out.” Sherry insisted with urgency causing Jill to pause upon hearing this information. 

“Your mother’s a part of this how?” She asked her voice low and her stare so demanding Sherry backed away in fear. Backing into Claire she moved to touch Sherry’s shoulders in response. 

“Easy with her, she’s only a little girl.” Jill heard Claire whisper as she rubbed Sherry’s shoulders to calm her down. Realizing this Jill took on an apologetic look feeling awful for allowing her hatred for Umbrella to overwhelm her senses.  
Ducking her head down Jill moved some of her bangs from her face as she slipped her handgun into her holster. 

“I’m sorry, can you show us a way into the sewers? We need to find your mother.” She said, receiving a hurried shake of the head. 

“Please Sherry, I think this is important.” Claire urged receiving a smile from Jill once Sherry pointed them in the right direction. 

Once the four of them made it onto the streets Sherry did well in keeping her calm as the adults of the group kept any zombies away from her. She closed her eyes throughout most of the walk until they came across a manhole which Sherry knew would take them part of the way to where they needed to be. Sliding the manhole open, Leon glanced at the two women before he slipped inside helping Claire with Sherry as they each climbed down into the sewers. A horrid stench pervaded their senses and they all covered their mouths at encountering the smell of urine and garbage. 

“Nothing about this night is going to be pleasant, is it?” Leon asked aloud his voice echoing within the tunnel they were in. 

“Nope, none of it.” Claire said, glancing over at Jill with a smile despite her comment. Jill flicked on her flashlight attached to her shoulder holster helping to dispel the darkness of the tunnel as they walked. Every footfall seemed to echo where they walked and they could dare to hope no more encounters with the undead would occur here. 

“It’s so cold.” Sherry called out in a shiver nearly jumping out of her skin when a rat ran past her foot. 

“Here.” Claire whispered out trying not to cringe at seeing the rat that she swore had glowing red eyes. She slipped her red jacket off and she placed it on Sherry’s shoulders receiving a grateful smile from the little girl that warmed her heart. 

Jill was gazing at them from the corner of her eyes and her lips uplifted into a smile of her own. A pleasant warmth settled in her chest when Claire eventually looked at her again, their matching smiles seeming out of place considering how awful the whole night has been. Jill’s smile faded however when she noticed Claire wince every now and then. Taking notice of the slight limp in Claire’s step she was about to say something to her when Leon stopped them from walking any further with his outstretched hand. 

“I think I heard something.” He whispered out and they all stopped to listen. Jill only heard the sound of rushing water before it was too late and a crack within the walls gave way sending a rush of water towards the part of the sewer they were about to walk into as a large mutated creature surfaced the apparent force creating the current. 

“Everyone run!” Jill ordered and the rest of them followed Claire struggling a bit more because of her injury. She kept up pace upon Jill’s insistence and they leaped when they all saw a large metal door. 

Having not quite made it in time Leon was taken away by the current of water prompting each of them to yell out for him. Yelling in shock Leon tried to push against the current of the sewer water only to be taken away, once the water calmed he landed on his back groaning when the disgusting creature seemed trained upon him. Not wanting it to go after the girls he fired at before he made off in a sprint in a different direction unaware of the shadowy figure that was following above him as he ran. 

“Just had to be my lucky day.” Leon groaned out as the creature advanced after him causing him to dodge to and fro. Seeing an opportunity to escape Leon took it and he calmed upon making it into a room he knew the monster could not physically go into. 

Hearing the horrific roars of the monster Leon crawled onto the cold concrete and he laid on his back taking several deep breaths while he hoped the girls found some safety. Glancing around the dark he was uncertain of where he was as he leaned up sitting with his knees propped up. 

Pushing some of his wet darkened hair from his left eye he startled upon seeing a figure in the doorway. Reaching for his handgun that was now missing he was calmed by a woman’s voice. 

“Don’t worry, I’m from the FBI.” The woman said in a seductive tone as she dropped the coat she was wearing to reveal a bright red dress. Glancing up Leon noticed she was wearing sunglasses that hid her eyes and she had short dark hair and a slim and fit figure. 

Flashing a badge that said FBI, Leon raised a curious brow with many questions flooding through his mind. The only coherent sentence that he managed was less than eloquent, 

“Where did you come from?” Leon asked, wincing at his accusing tone. Providing him a smile nonetheless the woman offered a hand for him to take. Hesitantly taking it Leon was surprised by her strong grip as she grunted with brief exertion at helping him up. 

“Uh, I’m Leon Kennedy, and you are?” 

“No one you need to know.” She replied mysteriously, “But did you happen across a little girl?” She asked, causing suspicion to sink into Leon’s chest. 

“Maybe, why is an FBI agent here in Raccoon City?” He countered hearing a pleasant chuckle fill his ears that made him feel nervous and giddy. 

“I’m here to investigate corruption. There’s a lot of corruption in this city and a virus that reanimates the dead is a hell of a story.” She said as she looked around the room they were in. He looked to her again to see that she was holding a device and a gun in the other. Not knowing what to ask he proceeded to try to get more information from her. 

“Start with Umbrella and why are you here talking to me?” He asked scratching his neck where he was beginning to sweat. Offering Leon a glance the mysterious woman shrugged and she moved to lean against the doorway. 

“You were a lovely distraction against that creature but I wanted to make sure you were alive. I actually need your help.” She answered sliding the shades down to reveal beautiful dark brown eyes. Taken aback by how upfront she was he crossed his arms revealing the bandages he had wrapped around his forearm and shoulder. Blood was dried on his hand from the deep cut but luckily it hasn’t gotten infected from the sewer water or worse. 

“Leon...I need to find a woman named Annette Birkin. I think she is the woman responsible for this.” She stated with sincerity moving the glasses back over her eyes when he seemed convinced. 

“Alright I can help you, but it will be awhile since I have no idea if the girls are still there.” Leon relented sighing since he knew this was going to be a long ride. 

“I have nothing but time.” She went on to say as she walked to the doorway, “And by the way the name’s Ada Wong.”


	4. Fearless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One important note. A trigger warning for the near death experience in this chapter. I was recently told to do this and I am very sorry for not thinking to provide a warning before! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this next installment of Resident Evil: The City of Ruin. For some of you who may like to know some motivations I was listening to a song called Broken by OTR & Au/Ra while writing this. Also does anyone else crave donuts?

Water dripped down her arm down past her forearm and she tensed her entire body upon feeling the cool water as it rapidly dripped onto her hair and face. The oncoming rush of liquid matched with the cracking of concrete and steel put her in that familiar feeling of distress and alert as she prepared to run once again. Only due to her extensive injuries from hours ago she struggled to breathe, her lungs seizing painfully with each intake of breath once she moved to push her aching body forward. Terror wedged its way inside of her chest while the weight of dread made her feel so vulnerable and small. She knew she would not be fast enough to get away from her impending doom but she struggled her damnedest because it was just not in her genes to give up. I’m not giving up, she repeated in her head and yet reality's cold grip was threatening to seize her in that very moment. The crush of death was awaiting her if she did not escape in time. Tears escaped and flowed down the sides of her face despite her bravery. 

A thundering roar entered her ears that made her ears bleed but she kept on not daring to look back at the creature behind her. In this moment, that she knew was going to be her last, she could not help but be dismayed at how horrible the extreme cold felt. It was paralyzing and unforgiving, and it seemed exceptionally bitter for her last moments to be without any comfort. Without any mercy or any hope. 

“Claire!” A familiar voice screamed out but the echo of that voice sounded so distant and far away. Almost as if a voice had not called out to her at all.

“No, it's too late.” Claire sobbed out when she fell to the water she was waist deep within as darkness shrouded her body and being. Something had a hold of her leg now and the agonizing grip was keeping her rooted to her spot. Feeling her body being forcefully tugged backwards against her will, her voice became desperate and tinged with her fear,

“Fuck, not like this!” The woman swimming in the water sobbed her voice becoming muffled as water drained into her throat. Gurgles sounded afterward completely fading whatever else Claire had been about to say. The coldness seeped in zapping away all of the warmth in her body except the burn of her injuries and the pain she was feeling in her heart. Looking upward as she fell further and further down in the water, air bubbles erupted in front of her mouth as she gasped. She felt a tendril of some kind wrap around her neck and more water filled her mouth causing Claire to further choke within the abyss she was in. Now descending slowly Claire’s arms lifted up weightlessly as the light faded from her sight. The tendril suddenly darted away but she had lost too much air too quickly. 

Before her eyelids could close as her life drained the light from her eyes, a hand forced its way into the water creating ripples of circles around the hand from the force. Claire’s consciousness continued to fade nonetheless even when she saw a hand grip her arm tugging her upward with unrelenting insistence.

Seeming to die so swiftly the moment seemed to be the most bitter of them all. 

Moments later a pain erupted in her chest and she sputtered out the murky water which had enclosed and submerged her lungs. A hazy light of the tunnel illuminated the dark figure above her but she was too weakened to see who it was. Falling back out of consciousness the last thing she felt was arms lifting her up and the sounds of roars once again.

Hours later, she gasped out and her lungs refilled with breath and Claire coughed repeatedly, her vision sharpening when she felt strong hands on her face that were holding her steady. Blinking away her blurred vision, Claire’s awareness filtered back in and she soon realized that Jill was sitting in front of her with absolute terror in her eyes. It felt odd and foreign to her at first having yet to see Jill look as afraid as she did in this moment. 

“J-Jill?” Claire asked confusedly, soon becoming aware of a small body that was leaning against her side. Unable to look because of Jill’s hold on her face she shifted up slowly, taking in Jill who leaned down on her knees to get closer with pure emotion swimming in her cerulean blue gaze. They peered deeply into her and that odd recurring emotion of excitement filtered in. Jill was looking at her as if she was the only person in the world that she cared about and it struck Claire in the chest at the notion. 

Appearing to be studying Claire, she briefly closed her eyes upon feeling Jill’s fingers slide from the side of her face to her neck. She was wiping dirt and the disgusting water from Claire's face which she appreciated.

Breathing shakily which Claire could hear with prevalence because of how close they were, Jill spoke, “I didn't know if you were going to come back to us …” She said in a low whisper in which Claire realized she was doing so, in order to avoid disturbing Sherry who must have been the small body that was leaning into her. She could feel the leather of her own jacket rubbing against the side of her arm which led her to such a conclusion. Claire took the next silent moment to look around even if it was a struggle because of how close Jill was to her and she noticed they were in a barely lit room with a metal door, a desk, and a large whiteboard. She felt cold lockers that she knew she was bracing against. Claire looked down suddenly to see there was blood coating the side of Jill's blue shirt. However before she could ask Jill about it she spoke up first. 

“Do you remember what happened?” Jill proceeded to ask, removing her hands from Claire’s face which helped to barely calm her accelerated heartbeat. 

“Not exactly? Everything happened so quickly...” Claire whispered out meekly, having difficulty meeting Jill’s stare as bits of the memory resurfaced in her mind. She touched her head in a scratch to feel a bandage wrapped around her head. Looking down to her hand she was glad to not see blood as she struggled to remember. She remembers getting split up from Jill and Sherry when a monstrous being wedged between them. It was huge and terrifying, but there were holes in her memory as to what it looked like. She could only envision a tall and looming shadow which led her to believe it must have been the tyrant that had been trying to kill them at the station. Claire remembered running for her life from him, but it seemed more like a vivid dream than a reality when her mind conjured the next part. 

"D-Did I almost..?" Claire breathed out in panic. 

She tilted her head to the side to see Sherry sleeping peacefully beside her which she was glad of. Feeling Jill’s hand rest on her shoulder she whipped her head back to look at the other woman. Jill’s expression seemed sympathetic and she found her panicking underneath Jill’s stare lessen. 

“I found you just in time, I did have to perform CPR to resuscitate you but you're fine.” She said and Jill’s voice was soft and compassionate which Claire felt treasured to experience. Gritting her teeth when she tried to move to stand, she winced in pain which shot through her torso. It burned and felt like a blazing fire was engulfing the middle of her chest, body, and leg. 

“Fuck.” Claire hissed out slumping back to the ground as she conceded that she would have to have Jill take a look at this. 

"Mostly fine…" Jill commented sheepishly, "Let me take a look." She whispered and Jill shifted to check through her equipment glad to come across another herb mixture she had found during their search through the police precinct. Setting aside the herb mixture and some of the last of her bandages she looked to Claire who understood that she would have to remove her holsters and lift up her shirt. Shifting with the help of Jill, she watched as they gently rested Sherry’s head on Claire’s jacket before they both moved for more space for Jill to apply first aid. Sliding her brown holsters, one which held her knife and the other which held her new Beretta M9, Claire suddenly looked around for her shotgun until she noticed it on the desk behind Jill. 

Lifting her shirt after an awkward beat of silence, Claire’s chest rose and fell as Jill surveyed the damage done to her torso and rib cage. Her rib cage was a horrid mixture of black, blues, and purples and Jill kept from wincing for Claire’s sake. “You can rub it in yourself if that would make you feel more comfortable?” Jill questioned holding up the herb to Claire, aware of the increasing rise and fall of Claire’s breath when she neared her. Feeling bad for her perceived discomfort she blushed upon trying to figure out what to say without sounding like a creep. 

“If I couldn’t trust you with this, then I wouldn’t trust anyone to do it.” She stated nervous butterflies intermingling with the pain she was suffering through. Not wishing to prolong it Jill got to work smothering Claire’s ribs with the herb, careful to be gentle so as to not worsen the fractured or broken bone underneath. After finally rubbing all of the herb in Jill offered Claire a rare smile when Claire dropped her tank top down, already feeling a bit of relief kick in due to the herb’s natural healing effects. 

“Those herbs are a miracle.” She said with a quiet laugh as Jill nodded in agreement. 

“Now we need to redress the cuts on your arm just to make certain there’s no infection.” Jill said, the word infection sticking out to Claire while Jill unwrapped her arm with care. She did not know where Jill learned to do this but she was very thankful for Jill, and all she has done for her.

Claire felt a burst of happiness and a giddiness in her heart, a unique feeling that only Jill seemed to inspire in her. Blinking slowly Claire’s fuzzy mind and heart jumped at the thought as it seemed to come out of nowhere. Although she was aware of her growing crush on Jill she at first thought it was simply pure admiration of the older woman's intelligence and skills, but the feeling she had whenever Jill looked or touched her seemed to say otherwise.

Especially when she thought about the tender moments they have shared and the way Jill protected and showed she cared about her. Someone who had been a complete stranger to her just the day before. Feeling foolish for not realizing the crush for what it was she focused upon the wall in front of her. Old worries and fears invaded her mind despite her feeling of joy at realizing it and she groaned internally because of her long repressed fear about having felt an attraction to women. Claire had never let the comments or opinions of others affect her in the past but the opinion she cared most about above all was her brother Chris. Chris who she really wished was here and yet who she wanted to be as far away from Raccoon City as possible. She hoped he was safe, wherever he was. 

The icing on the depressing cake was also that Claire was certain that now was the least appropriate time to gain feelings for someone and yet ironically it was because of the terrifying situation they were in that they had managed to secure a bond. 

“You’re thinking too much.” Jill called out suddenly but she kept her voice to a dull roar while Sherry shifted in her sleep. At a loss for how much time has passed since she became unconscious, she touched Jill’s arm that was now tightening the last bit of her bandage around her right arm. 

“Where did you get that notion?” Claire managed feeling much better as more time passed. Jill merely gave her a playful shake of her head, her wet short brown hair covering a part of her face until she moved it away. Her pink lips upturned into a smirk that Jill seemed to have perfected into adulthood and she stood up from her position before she answered her. Watching Jill’s movements Claire felt her face burn a bright red upon her next comment. 

“You wrinkle your nose and you have an adorable far off look in your eyes when you get stuck in your head.” Jill said sounding like she was rather proud of her observation. Lifting up to stand Claire stretched her bare arms slowly looking to her new bandage as she did so before she stepped over to Jill. 

“I just have a lot on my mind...” Claire insisted but she lost what she was going to say next upon feeling soft lips on her cheek. Heart shooting up to her throat, she remained frustratingly motionless as Jill's lips slowly moved from her cheek. Opening her eyes back up, Jill’s gaze caught the air in her throat while she took in how long Jill's eyelashes were. She was a beautiful woman and she achieved attractiveness even when she was covered in various red scratches and filth. But it was more than that because it was really Jill’s personality and selfless heart that drew Claire to her, like she was honey and Claire a lowly bee.

The air’s tension thickened and she swallowed slowly. This was a gesture that threw her off the rails of any organized thought while Jill smiled at her. Unable to keep from smiling back, she could see that Jill’s stare reflected warmth and happiness. An emotion she wanted Jill to express and feel more often than she did. 

“Claire…” Jill said with sincerity, “I promise you that you're going to make it out of here...” Stopping Claire from saying anything in response once again, she grabbed Claire’s hand and tightened her hold on it. Feeling like a useless human because of how easily Jill threw her off the path, Claire calmed her heartbeat to listen to Jill. 

“You making it out of here alive is what is important to me and now we have more than just you and I at stake.” Jill said glancing to Sherry subtly. Gripping Jill’s hand back, a wider smile wound its way on Claire’s face. 

“Well then I guess we'll just have to survive and no one else is dying on our watch...” She stated with confidence, the nightmare of her near death falling to the wayside as Jill’s promise bubbled up in her mind. Jill had saved her life once again and she was the main reason that she was able to be here at all. Claire did not plan to squander it by letting her fear get the best of her. 

“But first I think we should get the hell out of here with Sherry.” She went on looking to the slumbering child as her peaceful sleep shifted to restlessness. 

“Getting the hell out of here sounds like a brilliant idea...do you mind getting the kid?” The brunette questioned as she turned to reattach her belt and sling over her semi-automatic which Claire had no idea how to use or what it would even be called. Nodding at Jill, they let go of each other’s hand both of them subtly missing the touch as they prepared. 

While Jill continued to tighten her weapons to her person and make her weapons easily accessible, Claire slipped on her holsters and her shotgun before she gently poked Sherry nearly leaping when Sherry screamed upon being touched. 

Watery blue eyes gazed up at her and Claire felt sympathy rise in her chest as Sherry sat up sleepily immediately apologizing for screaming. 

“Are you alright?” Claire mumbled to Sherry receiving a shaky nod. 

“Yes, I am just not used to feeling safe when I wake up…” The young blonde girl answered honestly and she soon grabbed up Claire’s jacket hugging onto it as if it was her only solace in the world. 

Offering her a kind smile Claire spoke softly, “Don’t worry Sherry, Jill and I are going to protect you.” 

“From all of the monsters?” Sherry questioned slipping on the jacket as she shivered. Claire and Jill shared a nod and Sherry’s mouth upturned into a weak smile before she moved to grab Claire’s hand. Looking down to the blonde who shied away from her stare as she looked to the ground, Claire squeezed her hand gently. She continued to allow her to keep ahold of her hand as they walked to the door. 

Jill was already at the door and she opened it swiftly, watching the flex of her muscles, Claire’s free hand rested to her side where her gun was as they each stepped outside. 

“Any chance that monster from before took a snack break?” Claire eventually said as they walked down the tunnel in a seemingly random direction. When they each had to step back into the water she cringed with fears resurfacing with each movement. Although she knew the water levels were too shallow the fear of drowning pricked at the back of her mind. Claire pushed it away in order to focus on the shadows especially when her gaze landed on several bodies that were laying throughout the sewer. 

“Poor choice of words Claire.” Jill commented with an semi-amused look in her eyes. Looking to her she noticed shadows move and soon five of the zombies were up from the ground she had hoped they would stay on. Sherry held in a scream as her grip tightened on Claire’s hand and she drew her closer to her while Jill shot at the one directly in front of her. Claire joined in the fight and she used her gun to shoot the one to her left six times in the head. Aggravated at the fact the zombies seemed to just eat the bullets she paused when the third ventured past Jill who was currently knifing the one she had attacked in the face. Turning calmly to face the other she shot it twice in the chest wincing when her third shot missed the ugly bitch completely. Pulling Sherry back with her she kept her gun trained at the zombie and she continued to fire but the bloodied figure seemed persistent. 

“Claire!” She heard Sherry shout from beside her and she turned just in time to be grabbed by one that had snuck in behind her. Wrestling with the man in a yellow vest she found herself becoming more annoyed than anything. 

“You’re just the ordinary stock.” She growled out, hefting her entire weight downward to drop from his meaty grasp. To her relief, Jill fired into his face from close contact managing to explode his head, splattering his brains all over the brick wall behind her. Now that three of the five were down Claire lifted her aching body up and she joined beside Jill, the both of them raising their pistols at the same time as they fired at the remaining two. 

Sighing when they finally fell to the ground into pools of their own blood the two women reloaded their handguns quickly. Soon after Sherry moved to hug her leg. Surprised by the move she touched her head to get her attention. 

“You both are my heroes!” She heard Sherry chirp and Claire shared a smile with Jill. Despite the gore and violence of the moment she was glad Sherry wasn’t shaking in the corner. Knowing how terrifying it must have been she felt proud of Sherry for putting on a brave face. 

“We’re just being brave so you don’t have too. Hold onto one of us when it’s too scary, okay?” Claire whispered out in a soothing tone. 

“Okay.” Sherry said simply moving from hugging her leg with a blush on her face. 

“We’ll get you somewhere safe as soon as possible, now come on.” Jill said motioning for the both of them to follow. 

As soon as the radio came into her possession everything changed. Once Jill, Claire, and Sherry had made it past more monsters and bigger ones that looked like science experiments gone wrong, they had made it to an open area in the hopes of escaping the sewers. To their surprise they came across a dead soldier in the water with an Umbrella insignia on his back. Although the involvement of Sherry’s mother concerned her greatly Jill decided ultimately that the risk to Sherry wasn’t worth it. Sherry, who did not speak much besides occasional sentences, seemed to understand this once Jill told her that she would come back for mother and father later. 

The worry of Leon's whereabouts was another wrench in the plan but she knew she wasn’t going to leave the city without him either. Coming in contact with the Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service, or the U.B.S.C. for short, Jill was now aware of a plan to escape the city by using the subway station. Taking Sherry to the train seemed like the most viable and safe option even if Umbrella was involved. 

“Are you sure we can trust this Carlos guy?” Claire asked her shotgun in her grip as she surveyed the area they were in. Once Jill had found the radio she had immediately been met with a voice that asked about the soldier to which Jill in a snarky reply said he was dead. Despite the obvious animosity of Jill’s tone, the man on the other side sounded more relieved to find more survivors. 

“Not at all, but he-.” Whatever Jill was about to say was interrupted by Carlos calling out her name. 

“Jill how far…” But anything else Carlos said was blocked by static and she groaned in annoyance. 

“We need to hurry to topside for this to work. I’m surprised it worked down here at all.” She commented reloading a clip into her handgun and trying not to think about how much ammo she had left. She had found some more when they had been within the Sewer Management office but the chances of finding more until they were back into the city seemed exceptionally slim. 

“Well if this turns out to be a trap I won’t be held responsible for who I shoot.” Claire commented with a fire to her tone. 

Chuckling in reply Jill stopped in front of a yellow ladder as her dried hair tried to slink into her face. 

“We’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and see if they have actually rescued people first.” She said with a point of her finger before she set it back near the trigger of her gun. 

“Fair enough.” Claire huffed out following behind Sherry as they climbed up the ladder. Relief flooding through her once they made it out of the horrible smelling sewer. The relief was short-lived when they came back into the city’s chaos. Various cars and fires still raged while distant undead groaned in their unending desire for flesh. By now many of the groups of zombies had knocked down the police barricades allowing them to roam freely through the streets. Sherry remained close to Claire and Jill and she looked around taking it all in. 

“It’s going to be okay, try not to stare too long at anything.” Sherry heard Jill say and she looked up at the taller woman before she nodded. 

“Jill, are you there?” The radio suddenly blurted out and Jill moved to hold it to her ear immediately after. 

“Yes, we were in the sewers so the signal wouldn’t work. What is it?” She husked tapping Claire with her gun when she saw bodies that were shuffling in their direction already.

“I need your location, do you know where you are?” 

“Uh, by a Pharmacy?” Jill remarked tensing as some of the zombies neared. 

“Okay good, you’re getting closer. Do you think you could get to the Sub station from there?” Carlos asked.

“Yes, I know my way around, we’ll be there.” Jill replied curtly setting the radio to her belt and within a split second Jill shot at a nearby barrel which exploded and caught nearby zombies on fire. Claire lowered her hand from the unexpected blast and she aimed her shotgun at one of the zombies, the shell ripping apart its chest. Receiving a look from Jill she followed after her with Sherry standing in between them so they could watch both sides. 

Battling undead they could not freely avoid they finally made it past a Donut Shop and they slipped inside to avoid the stairs which were piled with the fuckers. 

“The coffee here is good.” Jill commented flicking on her flashlight since it was pitch dark within it. 

“Maybe we should get a drink?” Claire questioned seriously, receiving a chuckle from Jill. 

“Feel free, are you thirsty Sherry?” Jill whispered out checking the room for zombies once she passed by a red cushioned booth. She stilled upon seeing a dead body on the floor and she kicked it in the head hearing groans sound when she did so. Not hesitating she shot him directly in the face before she pulled out her knife jabbing it forward at his skull until he stopped moving. Breathing out a sigh she turned to Sherry who shielded her face from the bright flashlight. 

“Yes please.” Sherry said and the little girl in the red jacket turned to follow Claire when she went over to the coffee machines. 

“Do you like soda Sherry?” Claire asked as she searched around for drinks. 

“Yes but my mom doesn’t allow me to drink it.” Sherry answered, tucking her hands into the jacket’s pockets. To her delight she actually spotted a drink machine and she walked to it before she slipped in the only change she had in her pocket but to her misfortune it wasn’t enough. 

“Well she’s not here so I am going to treat you to something...uh by chance did you find any money in my jacket?” Claire said sheepishly while Jill was searching around for anything useful. 

Feeling around in the jacket, Sherry grinned upon finding something and she pulled it out. It was some money that was soaking wet and a key. Taking the money carefully Claire grimaced as she tried to stick it only for it to disintegrate. 

“A lot of good money is doing me now.” She remarked looking to Jill when she walked over. Shaking her head playfully she went to the back of the machine pulling out something that was the color silver from her pouch. Watching her curiously Claire set her hands on her hips and she raised a brow when the back of the machine opened due to Jill’s lock pick. The lock pick looked to be makeshift and out of a fork and needle but she did not ask any questions due to her astonishment. 

Pulling out two coca colas she handed them to Claire and Sherry who looked at the red can with excitement. Carefully opening the can with both hands to filter the popping noise Sherry took a drink. Jill got herself some water which she took a swig out of. 

“I don’t usually break into soda machines…” Jill said with a shrug while Claire’s jaw fell open. Closing her mouth she took a drink of the coke trying to hide her red blush in the darkness. Jill continued to surprise her and Claire tried to not think about how hot that made her look. Enjoying the calm moment they tried to drink as much as possible before they made their leave. 

Sherry still held onto the can as they exited the Donut Shop but she soon dropped it hearing the aluminum clank as the remaining liquid spilled all over the street.

A large figure appeared landing in the street with force. The creature managed to make deep and large cracks across the asphalt under its gigantic boots and Sherry screamed in absolute terror. 

“STARS!”


	5. Bleeding Hearts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst and homophobic character warning. Also I apologize for not providing summaries but I don't want to give anything away. XD I hope you enjoy this next chapter and I thank you so much for reading, giving me kudos, and commenting. I really appreciate it. #IhateNikolai

Jill clenched her hand tightly around her gun and her knuckles became a pale white as her finger tips dug into the palm of her hand. She aimed her pistol high and upwards to the hulking form in front of her as the world seemed to slow around her. Hearing the sounds of her heavy breathing amidst the sound of Sherry screaming everything snapped into focus and she felt her heart fall to her stomach once she realized that what she was seeing was actually real. 

“Oh my god!” Claire gasped beside her having been knocked to the ground due to the force of the tyrant’s impact. It had rattled the doors and storefront windows around them and Jill reacted, grabbing Claire up from the street before she ducked a sudden swing from the monster. The monstrous creature had on a large black coat which whipped around violently with its swift movements. She gasped upon seeing the horror up close when he attempted to grab her. 

“Sherry run!” Jill yelled out holding onto Claire as they both dodged more swipes from the monster. He was much faster than Mr. X and Jill was certain a punch from him was like meeting death itself. She heard the sound of running and hoped Sherry had done as she asked. Terror wedged into her chest when she lost her grip on Claire and Jill whipped her head over to look at Nemesis when he leaped from the place he had been to land with a loud crack directly between Claire and herself. Nearly losing her footing Jill tried to fire at him to no avail. Blue eyes widening to the size of dinner plates she performed a dodge, flipping to the side when he tried to swipe her in the middle. 

Screams sounded around her but she could only keep her attention on Nemesis as the menacing monster suddenly tripped her to the ground dragging her across the asphalt which burned nearly as much as the blood red tendril that was wrapped around her leg. Jill yelled out in surprise, her chest rising and falling rapidly when she ended up directly under him. 

Suddenly the sound of a gunshot entered her ears and she watched as the shot sparked against his back barely phasing him as Nemesis roared angrily. Turning his head in response Jill managed to propel her body backwards and back into a standing position. Watching in further horror Nemesis began to stride to Claire’s position in the middle of the street. She had her shotgun in her hand and a determined look on her face despite the fact Nemesis was darting to her several seconds faster than any of the creatures they have faced before. 

“Claire!” Jill hollered out when he made a swift punch towards Claire nearly decking her in the chest if she hadn’t thought to leap out of the way at the right moment. But that was too close for Jill’s comfort who picked up her pace as he made more violent thrashes after his perceived threat. 

“Hey fuckface, I’m the one you’re looking for!” Jill yelled out angrily pulling out her semi-automatic and blazing him down with it. Watching the multitude of bullets exit out of her gun the bright flash lit up her features as she sprinted and shot at him. Becoming peppered with bullets which ricocheted off of his coat, Nemesis leaned down before he roared into the sky halting Jill who’s vision blurred and step faltered. Groaning in pain, her assault on Nemesis stopped and she grabbed at her bleeding left ear until his horrendous roar finally stopped. 

Attention back upon Jill, he turned away from Claire once again and his loud footsteps thudded through the street as he chased after her. Knowing that she would have to get him away from Claire and Sherry, Jill bee lined towards a set of stairs which led towards the direction of the Subway station. 

“Jill!” She heard Claire’s voice call out and she struggled to calm her heart hearing her name called out so fearfully. She knew what she was doing because she was a professional.

She continued her sprint and her legs lifted and fell in quick succession, her body jumping and sliding whenever the monstrosity attempted to slow her down or grapple her. 

Having to keep a constant look behind her Jill nearly ran into a group of zombies located at the bottom of the stairs. Lifting into a roll Jill dodged swipes from their bloodied arms while Nemesis barreled through them like a bowling ball. Her chest burned at the exertion but she kept up her sprint since Nemesis did not appear to be stopping his assault even for a second. 

“Jill, are you close?” She heard Carlos call out on the radio attached to her hip but she knew she would not be able to answer.

“S.T.A.R.S.” She heard Nemesis rumble and icy chills ran down her back because of how close he was to her heel. Approaching a door she paused upon seeing flames scattered throughout the alleyway and devastation rose in her chest because she had accidentally boxed herself in. Turning on her heel Jill backed directly into the fence with her gun in her hand as Nemesis slowed to a walk somehow knowing that he was going to seal her fate. Looking to the flames and smoke behind him the dark shadow neared dangerously close. Trapped and afraid Jill hoped more than anything that Claire and Sherry would make it out. However, anger welled in her chest and her eyebrows knitted downward as she tried to come up with a plan to escape. Stepping within inches of Jill she winced when Nemesis raised his giant fist ready to batter her to death with it. 

Getting hit in the chest, the force of his fist knocked the air from Jill’s lungs and her back impacted the fence and since she was not heavy enough she slunk against the fence to the ground lamely as the edges of her vision blurred completely. Feeling an intense dizziness and sharp and biting pain shroud her body Jill gasped out for air. She tried to prepare for the next hit that she was sure would make her bleed when the tyrant’s other fist shadowed her vision. 

However before he ended his target a rpg fired knocking Nemesis past Jill and into the alley from the force of the projectile’s hit. Pulling her body away Jill managed to duck behind a vehicle while Nemesis’s entire body caught fire. 

Glancing up to her savior she noticed a black haired man who’s shaggy hair nearly covered his dark brown eyes. Noticing him as he neared her she allowed him to lift her up from the ground. 

“You must be Jill.” He said with a slight accent putting her arm around his shoulder while he boosted her up. Catching her breath Jill pushed herself from his grip telling him she was fine. Not seeming convinced the man who must have been Carlos offered his hand but she refused. 

Taking note of his black armor which had the umbrella logo emblazoned on his back her gaze grew dark. Before she could say anything to Carlos extreme relief flooded through her when she saw Claire and Sherry. The blonde was being carried by Claire and she had her arms wrapped around Claire’s neck. Sprinting as fast as she could with the little girl in her arms she stopped in front of Jill with a disapproving look in her eyes while Sherry seemed glad to see her. Glancing away with guilt any conversation was halted by the sounds of footsteps behind them. 

Sherry gasped and she hid her face in Claire’s neck upon seeing Nemesis once again. With his body burning Nemesis stepped slightly slower than before but the intimidating sight of the monster created fear to swell in all of their bellies. 

“I think I have another surprise for you.” Carlos growled out tossing a frag grenade directly at Nemesis. Touching Jill’s back and waving his arm he urged them to follow them and ignore the roars of Nemesis behind them. 

Running into a metal door, each of them crawled under it before Carlos slammed it down. 

“That’s not going to stop that thing.” Jill commented with concern following him deeper into the subway station with Claire flanking behind them. 

“Any resistance is better than nothing.” Carlos replied having ditched the empty RPG for his assault rifle as he guided them through the rooms towards the tracks. 

“I did not catch your names?” Carlos proceeded to ask glancing to Claire and Sherry who were silent as they walked. 

“I’m Claire and this is Sherry.” Claire replied curtly seeming to show her obvious disdain for him. Catching the hint of animosity he chuckled softly. 

“Sherry, that's a unique name.” He said instead earning a slight smile from the little girl who had looked shell shocked when he first saw her. 

“Don’t talk to her.” Jill whispered suddenly her arctic blue stare almost sending visible chills down Carlos' spine. He took it in stride however and he kept walking ahead of them. 

Despite limping Jill kept on her pace ignoring any stares from the others as they continued. Sensing that Claire wanted to speak to her she stopped next to a railing as they walked down the station’s stairs. Taking notice of this Carlos said he would wait for them inside of the train when they were ready. Breathing out a small thank you despite her mistrust of Carlos, Jill groaned and she leaned against the railing. The last thing she wanted to do was vomit in front of the beautiful redhead next to her but the urge was strong. Holding it in Jill attempted to stand up straight but the pain in her ribs did not allow it. 

Suddenly she felt a small hand touch her back and she relaxed slightly when she realized Sherry was standing next to her, trying to offer her comfort. Offering her a weak and pained smile Jill tried to maintain the charade that she wasn’t in horrendous pain. Surprised when she heard a sniffle she turned around to see tears in Claire’s eyes. 

“I thought it was going to kill you Jill!” Claire stated with hot tears running down her face. Jill could tell that her face was red from her crying and her heart pinged at the sight. Claire looked torn and the emotion in her eyes made Jill feel like a bullet was hitting her in the chest. Glancing down to Sherry who had a concerned frown on her face she patted Sherry’s head gently before she whispered something in her ear. Following Jill’s request Sherry moved down to the bottom of the stairs but not too far so that she could remain in Jill and Claire’s sight. Oddly Sherry seemed to be smiling with her eyes when Jill asked her to give them a second. 

Moving to Claire she felt her chest lurch when Claire pulled her into her arms.The hug tightened and she moved to hug her back feeling Claire lessening her grip when Jill groaned into her ear. Letting her weight dip into Claire’s body, warmth invaded her senses at the feeling of Claire’s strong arms and her chest pressed against hers. Moving her hand up Claire’s arm, her hand brushed against the bandage on her bicep. She knew that questions were swirling in Claire’s mind and she also knew that Claire deserved answers to them. Shifting to look Claire in the eyes she kept her hold on Claire as their gazes locked like a key into a chest. 

“Claire there is something I never got around to telling you…” Jill started sighing heavily as Claire tried to wipe some of the tears from her eyes to clear her vision. 

“What is it?” Claire asked with worry as her eyes searched Jill’s own intensely. 

“You’re not going to like it.” She admitted shifting from Claire’s hold as dread settled in her stomach. Grabbing her side where it hurt the worst she leaned backward noticing the look of disappointment fall onto Claire’s face. 

“Is this the part where you let me down gently?” She heard Claire ask and Jill’s face reddened considerably in response having not expected that sentence to come out of Claire’s mouth. As Claire’s gaze averted from hers she struggled for a useful reply. 

“W-What? No…” Jill coughed and she cleared her throat, her mind running a mile a minute too quickly. 

“Okay sorry I had to ask.” Claire laughed out awkwardly moving to touch Jill’s hand that was resting against her stomach. 

“Before you tell me...here...I found this.” Claire said her eyes still red from the tears but she had seemed to calm down now that Jill was standing here in front of her, alive. Giving Jill a red and green herb, she shuffled nervously until Jill moved to wipe the brown mixture across her own stomach, closing her eyes with relief when she felt the powdery plant spread across the more severe injuries she had sustained. Touched by Claire’s compassion Jill opened her eyes back open and she thanked her quietly. 

Noticing the intense purple and red that painted Jill’s stomach, Claire frowned upon realizing Jill had more injuries than she thought. On her side to the right she could see bloodied bandages and a long scar that ran from the right bottom of her stomach towards her chest but not reaching the middle of her muscled torso. Dropping her shirt back down Jill shifted to stand seeming reinvigorated already. 

“I used to be a S.T.A.R.S. operative for the Raccoon City Police Department...and I think that thing is targeting members of S.T.A.R.S.” Jill said biting the bullet as ice seemed to drop onto Claire from the shock. Watching Claire’s eyebrows knit in confusion she tensed when Claire stepped closer. 

“Are you telling me what I think you are telling me?” Claire asked with disbelief, her eyes blinking rapidly. She did not appear angry to Jill but an emotion of some kind was prevalent. 

Tentatively Jill nodded her head as many emotions flickered in Claire’s eyes. Seeming settled on confused anger Claire crossed her arms.

“You were in the same force that my brother was in and you haven’t bothered to let me know he’s okay?” Hearing her voice raise which Jill understood, she ducked her head as Claire’s anger burned through her. 

“I told you he wasn’t in the city…” Jill asserted not shrinking away since Claire’s temper was boiling too quickly for her to allow Jill to explain herself. 

“Then where the hell is he?” Claire seethed her anger simmering into hurt which despite knowing her own reasons for keeping Chris’s whereabouts from Claire she felt horrid for putting that expression on Claire’s face. 

“I can’t tell you because if we get out of this you will put yourself in danger and go after him!” Jill said with slight frustration. 

“You don’t have the right to decide what I can and cannot do.” Claire growled out, “Chris is the only family I have left!” 

“And Chris is my partner Claire and he wouldn’t want you to do something as idiotic as that.” Jill said regretting it as soon as the words left her mouth. Breathing heavily she noticed that Claire’s hands had gripped into fists as her knuckles whitened.

“Jill...I know you probably do not feel like you owe me anything but it hurts that you kept that from me.” Claire admitted her fists opening as she tried to calm down. Closing her eyes her gaze landed to the floor and Jill had difficulty figuring out what she was thinking. A beat passed and Jill’s voice interrupted the suffocating silence.

“Claire...I was going to tell you at the police station but situation after situation kept happening.” Jill explained rubbing her wrist pausing when she felt Claire’s hand wound its way into her right hand. Looking to their joined hands butterflies erupted in her stomach when she intertwined their fingers. Glancing back up to Claire, Jill’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion. 

“I’m not a girl to hold a grudge. We’re both adults and I can understand why you didn’t tell me.” Claire went on amazing Jill because she likely would have still been pissed if someone had pulled a stunt like that on her. 

“You do…?” Jill questioned in a whisper her voice lowering once she remembered they were not alone. She was certain Sherry had heard them but she hoped the men in the train didn’t hear their shouting match.

“Yes, and maybe part of why I forgave you is because you’re cute and... I like you.” Hearing the admission Jill’s frown shifted into a smile that showed off her pearly white teeth. 

“I’m...cute?” Jill asked, receiving a playful eye roll from Claire. 

“I’m surprised someone like you needs to be told they are.” The redhead said and her smile matched Jill’s. Noticing a stray tear from earlier Jill moved to wipe it with her thumb caressing Claire’s face as she did so. 

Biting her lip Jill glanced to the train before she tugged Claire to follow her. 

“It’s just nice to hear a compliment that isn’t about my chest every now and then.” Jill said as they descended the stairs together neither of them letting go of each other’s hands as they walked. Spotting Sherry, Jill tapped her shoulder gently and she quickly stood with a small smile on her face. Somehow she had the ability to remain cheerful amidst the horrors and Jill found herself admiring Sherry’s resilience. She was a tough kid. 

Following quietly behind Jill and Claire the both of them entered the subway tram hand in hand, each of them spotting three men. One who was Carlos and two other U.B.C.S. soldiers who were in their uniforms.  
“There’s the fine ladies now.” Carlos said with a nod in Jill and Claire’s direction. Claire remained silent, getting bad vibes from the Umbrella mercenary that was sitting to their far left. He seemed to be scowling at them and it irritated her when his gaze flickered to Jill and remained there.

“You failed to mention to me Carlos that it was the S.T.A.R.S. operative, Jill Valentine.” The man named Mikhail said in a scratchy tone where he sat groaning from his deep scratch wounds. 

“You’re from S.T.A.R.S.?” Carlos asked, seeming excited upon hearing it. Jill nodded mutely in response as she walked to sit in front of Mikhail with Claire sitting to her left and Sherry to her right. 

“And who are you two?” The Russian man asked moving to hold a hand to his stomach where there was a copious amount of red. Jill frowned in reply and she glanced to the next car to see survivors gathered within. Glad it was not a trap after all she glanced to Claire who answered Mikhail’s question. 

“My name is Claire Redfield. My brother is with S.T.A.R.S. as well…” She said her sentence drifting off. 

“As for her it’s none of your business.” She said with a protective look in her eyes. 

“Hmph, women.” The other man in the tram car scoffed, earning an annoyed glance from Carlos. Seeming to ignore Claire’s aggressive tone Mikhail spoke next. 

“I am Mikhail Victor and the captain of this U.B.C.S. squadron. I’m glad you were able to make it here safely.” He said shortly coughing after receiving stares of concern from the women and Carlos. 

“It’s only a matter of time before you put us all at risk.” The other man who has yet to introduce himself started receiving a leveled stare from Mikhail. 

“As charming as ever Sgt. Zinoviev. Why don’t you make yourself useful and help Carlos with radio duty?” Smirking slightly, Nikolai stood from his position and he walked past Jill, Claire, and Sherry to stand next to Carlos. 

“Is this tram operational yet?” Receiving a nod, Jill relaxed slightly in her seat feeling Claire’s hand brush her thigh when she shifted next to her. 

“We’ve lost most of our squadron due to the...uh zombies.” Mikhail said as he gave Nikolai a noticeable glare. 

“Carlos has separate duties and he was about to leave when you answered our call. When he leaves we are going to proceed as planned.” He explained and Jill nodded slowly. 

“Are you going to be alright?” Claire asked, able to tell that his health was deteriorating rapidly. 

Waving them off Mikhail chuckled, “Do not worry about me, you look like you have been through hell and back young lady.” He said directing their attention to the many bandages on Claire’s body. 

“Are we going to entertain them all night or are we going to actually do something?” Nikolai blurted his stare getting underneath Jill’s skin. Glaring at him distrustfully she stood from her sitting position. 

“How can I trust that you aren’t just trying to get rid of the evidence?” Jill growled out. 

“Evidence of what?” Carlos asked her heated stare falling onto him. 

“Are you fucking kidding me? Umbrella is what caused all of this!” She said startling some of the people in the car next to them. Seeing a man who was shaking she lowered her voice. 

“Look all I know is our orders are to evacuate survivors within the city.” Carlos said with a bit of a fire in his tone which diminished when Claire stood. 

“There’s a man named Leon that we left behind in the sewers, can you find him?” She asked. 

“I will try my best.” Carlos stated, “You both have my word.” 

“You’re just a bunch of bleeding hearts that are going to get us all killed.” Nikolai commented, making Jill want to deck him in the face. 

“My mom is in a lab within the sewers…” Sherry mumbled out catching the grey haired mercenary’s attention. 

Before anyone else could comment Carlos exited the tram car with a nod to Mikhail. 

“The time has come.” He coughed out and Claire glanced at Carlos who offered them all an encouraging smile as a man in a similar uniform appeared behind him. Having not noticed him before she glanced to look at Jill who had sat back next to her, resting her arm on the seat once the tram moved.

Looking at each other they gave one another soft smiles but they moved their gazes away when they heard Nikolai clear his throat.

“Perhaps you should avoid showing such indecency in front of a child. Hasn’t she been traumatized enough?” Hearing the russian’s offensive comment Jill turned to glare daggers at him. 

“Hey! Leave them alone. Claire and Jill are the only ones who have been nice to me.” Sherry said in defense of them. Making both Claire and Jill proud of her she shuffled closer to Claire in response. 

Chuckling at this Nikolai gave her a creepy grin before he moved away to the other side of the tram car. 

“What a creep.” Claire not so subtly whispered out offering Sherry a smile when she scooted next to her. Keeping aware of their surroundings Jill leaned into a more comfortable position the longer the tram rumbled across the tracks. She had heard from Carlos their plan was to head to the clock tower where they had made plans to evacuate the civilians by helicopter. 

Being dragged from her thoughts by the feeling of Claire brushing up against her she moved her gaze from the passing walls to the redhead who was now leaning her head against her shoulder. Sherry was laying her head on Claire’s lap now and Claire was playing with Sherry’s blonde hair showing how instant their bond was. Jill understood Sherry’s affinity for Claire because she had a warmth and solidity about her that she knew had kept her from losing her mind throughout this nightmare. Despite having saved Claire from the reaches of death, Claire had saved her too. 

“Jill…” She heard Claire murmur and she shifted slightly feeling Claire’s soft red hair touch her shoulder as she did so.

“Do you think Leon’s alright?” She heard Claire question with worry that she wished she could snuff out like a candlelight. Moving her hand downward she found Claire’s free hand and she grabbed it. Not quite intertwining their fingers together she enjoyed the warmth of Claire’s hand as she rested her own on top of it. 

“Yes I do...he made it to the station fine on his own.” Jill said in a whisper. Seeming satisfied with Jill’s answer she moved to whisper in Jill’s ear causing shivers to run down the brunette’s spine. 

Amusement bubbling in her chest Jill removed her hand from Claire’s insistent grip. Of all times to be teased by Claire now was the least expected. 

“We’re not in highschool. I thought I was being obvious.” Jill commented aloud with a smirk looking to Claire when her gaze landed on her face. Raising a brow Claire squinted at her. 

“You’re as see-through as a brick.” 

“You’re as clear as a freshwater lake.” Jill rebutted enjoying the sight of red as it enveloped Claire’s pale skin. Struck with the sudden urge to kiss her, Jill’s face matched the red of Claire’s hair. Seeming to realize Claire’s similar train of thought her heart hammered hard in her chest. 

Moving closer to Jill, Claire’s eyes closed and she listened to the sound of the train and Sherry’s steady breathing. Although she was terribly tempted by Jill’s lips the nervousness of the moment got to her especially since they were not alone. Being touched by Jill again she knew Jill must have been thinking the same thing because she felt Jill’s forehead rest against hers instead. Opening her eyes slowly she became enraptured with Jill whose eyes were closed, it was an intimate gesture in itself for Jill to allow her to be as close as she was and her heart sang at the feeling. Despite feeling bits of hurt from their shouting match not so long ago she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at Jill. Her friend, her savior, and the woman she had growing feelings for. 

Knowing Jill felt similarly made her feel joyful but much like any positive feelings on this night it would fall to the wayside. A giant monster was hell bent on killing Jill and it scared the hell out of her. As impressive and strong as Jill was, she was not indestructible. As much as Claire wished she was. 

To her misfortune the very monster she was thinking about disrupted her train of the thought and the tram they were on. 

“Ladies! Get out of here!” She heard Mikhail shout and they all stood up from their seat to see Nemesis in front of them with a man held in his grasp. Throwing the poor man off of the broken side of the tram in front of them she gasped in pure terror. Claire was frozen still by the sight as Nemesis knocked more people off, killing them as their bodies impacted the concrete or were run over by the tram itself. Not seeing the other U.B.C.S. soldier anywhere Claire panicked upon finding Sherry missing. The thought of Sherry being in danger snapped her out of her frozen state and she grew enraged when she saw Nikolai was carrying her off into the next car. Reaching for her gun she rushed to stop him only for the door to seal them off from the both of them. 

Hearing the shouts of her name from Sherry who looked terrified Claire punched her fist into the glass. Punching it again when it only cracked, her fist became bloodied as she tried to find a way to stop him. 

“You’re too late.” Nikolai chuckled out darkly inserting something into Sherry’s neck which knocked her out. 

“Mikhail no!” Claire heard Jill shout from behind her but she was more focused on the blonde who pitifully collapsed beside Nikolai. Watching the bastard lift her up he walked away leaving the others to die to Nemesis. 

“You motherfucker!” Claire swore using the butt of her shotgun to shatter the glass. Reaching around to open the door she slammed it open, despair flowing through her when Nikolai and Sherry were nowhere in sight. Having no idea where they could have gone she spotted the door to the side that he had somehow wedged open. Suddenly before she could turn she felt Jill push her into the next tram car. Nearly falling from the force she turned catching Jill who fell straight into her. 

Grunting from the impact Claire shook the dizziness away once Jill lifted her body off of hers. Helping her with her hand Jill and Claire simultaneously turned to look at Mikhail who was firing his machine gun at Nemesis. Roaring horrifically Nemesis punched Mikhail upon getting close enough and the women tried to return to save him but it was too late. 

“You lose you sonofabitch.” Mikhail yelled out holding up a grenade which dropped from his hand. Exploding the c4 in the tram he was within, the force was enough to rock the tram off its track. 

Looking into Ada’s eyes Leon’s frustration grew. “You’re going to what?” The blonde man asked as they rode closer to the labs which belonged to Umbrella. Having fought several monsters, zombies, and the tyrant who got a hole ripped into him by another monstrous being with a giant eye, Leon was certain that nothing would ever surprise him ever again. The mysterious woman in front of him had left him more times than he could count but she always managed to show up when he was about to lose. So perhaps distinctly she did care about him in a different sort of way. Feeling Ada’s hand on his arm she looked down to it before his gaze flicked back up to her face a smirk on her features when a blush dusted his cheeks. 

“Leon, this is something I need to do myself…” Feeling her hand tighten on his bicep she shifted closer which caused her hand to touch the bandage, the very bandage which held the gunshot that had been meant for her. 

“You don’t have to do this alone. I’m on your side.” Leon urged the idea of Ada being devoured by a monster worrying him the most. 

“You’re a distraction and you need to find that girl.” Ada stated her dark stare not working to divert his insistent gaze. Moving to touch her hand that was touching his chest he shook his head. 

“Ada…” He whispered out closing his eyes as he thought of the several moments Ada could have left him to die. Thinking of her leaving was painful and he did not want her to venture into this facility on her own. 

Before he could try to convince her against going in alone he felt lips against his own. Soft and tender ones which shifted warmth from his face to his chest which ached. Moving forward to meet her lips Leon felt her hand fall from his once she moved away from him. Watching her thick eyelashes open back up he knew the answer she was going to give him was not the one he wanted. 

“We’ll see each other again.” Ada stated her expression appearing intense until she mellowed into a passive expression. Turning away from Leon’s concerned and hurt look, Ada walked out leaving him alone to his thoughts and his own survival. 

“Good luck Leon.” She whispered as he watched the end of her red dress leave his sight and as quickly as she had entered his life she disappeared like the mist. Frowning thoughtfully Leon hefted his body up to stand before he lifted up a grenade launcher from his back, he allowed the vehicle he was in to move back and away from where Ada was effectively taking away her only out from the facility as far as he knew. Watching her shadow through the window Leon’s expression shifted into a grim frown. 

“Goodbye Ada.”


	6. Darkness Revealing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore/horror (this may be very upsetting to read!) and homophobic slur warning for this chapter. So in order to write this chapter I listened to KoЯn's album called The Nothing. I think it helped me to write the most intense amounts of the chapter i.e. battle moments ahoy. Once again thank you for the kudos, comments, and support! It keeps me going. :)
> 
> P.S. stay safe out there.

“Jill!” A scream erupted through the air as it rattled in her ears along with the continuous echoes, sirens, screams, and groans of the walking dead. She kept her pace swift and her footsteps tapped repeatedly against the pavement. The scream of her name got louder as she got closer and she tried to block out the burn of her entire body as she propelled her body forward. Keeping a hold of her loaded handgun she kept up her sprint upon seeing the color red. Panicked her heart raced and her breathing picked up the pace when she turned a corner. Aiming her gun she shakily ventured closer the pop of the gunfire cracking through the air as she downed each of the bodies in front of her. She did not need to look into their pale white eyes to know that they were dead because some of them were missing limbs while others already had their ugly hackles raised showing the blood and flesh still stuck to their rotting teeth. Emptying her last clip into the last dead man on the ground she growled when one grabbed her leg. Turning with her knife gripped in her hand she nearly dropped it when the zombie tugged at her leg making her lose her footing. 

Impacting the ground harshly Jill grunted as growls and moans entered her ears. Holding up her knife above her face her eyes widened at the sight in front of her. 

“Brad!” Jill yelled out struggling with the zombie who used to be her friend. His yellow vest was drenched in blood and it dripped onto her chest and face as he tried to bite her in the neck.

“Stop!” She screamed as he raked her skin with his pale ashen fingers. The scratches felt like she was being pricked by several needles but Jill managed to kick Brad off of her before she pushed her body back into the cold, brick wall behind her. 

“S-Stop.” She heard Brad groan out and she screamed when he tried to crawl over to her. 

“This isn’t happening.” Jill cried out as he neared her. He was going to kill her if she did not react but she was unable to move her arm. It was slack and numb beside her making her fear accelerate her heart as Brad made a leap towards her. Reacting at the last second she stabbed Brad in the face but he still wasn’t dead. Trying to block out the sound of his screaming she lifted up from her helpless position and Jill’s tears dropped to the ground as she edged the knife out of his skull before she forced it back down over and over. She stabbed him hard enough that he no longer had much of a face and soon there was only a crimson mess that remained. Cutting her hand on the side of the knife after a particularly forceful stab she stopped clenching her bleeding hand to try and slow the bleeding. Staring at the alarming amount of blood on her hand in shock she gasped for breath before Jill shoved herself away from his dead body. 

“I’m so s-sorry.” She sobbed out clutching her chest as it burned with terror. The fire and emptiness resonated and the shadows of the alleyways seemed to enclose on Jill until a figure appeared. Tilting her head with a snap she pulled out her knife holding it in defense but she quickly dropped it when she saw it was Claire. She wasn’t saying anything to her but Jill felt relief flood through her at knowing she was alright. 

“Jill it’s okay, it’s not your fault.” She heard the redhead say as she neared her dropping to her knees and the shadows seemed to recede because of Claire’s presence. 

“I couldn’t save him.” Jill said, struggling with her breath as she cried. She felt embarrassed letting Claire see her like this but she could not contain the pain that rocked through her chest. Feeling a hand touch her face she looked up through her lashes at Claire’s pretty face which was blurred because of the tears.

“You saved who you could.” Claire said in a soft and soothing tone. Her voice sounded slightly off but Jill thought nothing of it as she moved her face closer to Claire’s hand that was rubbing her tears away and was caressing her face. Suddenly there was a crunch of a limb that shattered her illusion of calm when a man appeared over Claire. Seeing a shadow that looked to be Nemesis, panic rattled her chest and she tried to scream to warn her. Claire appeared oddly calm despite the rumbling roar and Jill went to grab Claire pushing her away from him forcefully. Covering Claire’s body with hers Jill reached for her gun in an futile attempt to protect her. 

However, the shadow shifted and Nemesis was gone in place of a man. Confused, she paused when she turned to Claire who was still smiling at her. Turning back to the man she gasped when she saw hazel green eyes staring at her once he stepped into the light. 

“Chris!” Blinking away her tears, her confusion increasing ten-fold when Chris suddenly clocked her in the jaw knocking her away from Claire. The punch knocked Jill dizzy and she tried to stop her head from spinning. As his menacing figure continued on after her she pushed away while grabbing her jaw covering it with the blood from the cut on her hand. Trying to crawl away she yelled out when he kicked her in the side, agonizing pain spreading through her side while she kept trying to get away. Fresh tears flooded down her face because of the pain and she reacted by rolling away from him in order to defend herself.

“Chris, what the hell are you doing?” Jill demanded the anger she saw in his eyes unlike anything she has ever seen from her partner before. Suddenly he grapped her by the neck and she resisted as he lifted her from the ground into the air. Choking her with force she struggled against him grabbing and clawing at his arms frantically. 

“You’re nothing but an arrogant bitch. You haven’t managed to save anyone and now my sister is going to die because of you!” Chris screamed into her face before he threw her violently into the wall knocking the air out of her. Doubling over in shock Jill touched the pavement with her left hand and she grabbed her neck with her right, but before she could recover Chris lifted her up again and he pushed her forcefully into the brick building behind her. Gasping Jill looked over at her partner taking in that he was wearing his S.T.A.R.S. uniform but it was now covered with blood.

“I won’t let...anything happen to her…” Jill cried out so thrown by Chris’s actions as he continued to beat her into the wall. She could not defend herself against her partner’s punches and she could only cry for mercy. 

Blood dripping from her broken nose and her lip she coughed as she slunk to the ground once again. Her face was swelling into a blue and purple tint while one of her eyes sealed shut. 

Jill lifted her head up weakly and she screamed. Chris’s face was now grey and blue from rot and one of his eyes yellowed as he growled, she could see blood dripping from his mouth and fingers as he groaned that unmistakable groan of hunger. He hissed and leaped to eat her when she moved to stomp his face with her boot kicking him away before she lifted up her gun, her hand visibly shaking when he lifted his body up in a crawl towards her. 

“Jilllll, help me!” She heard Claire shout out in agony and she looked past Chris to see a group of zombies who were attacking Claire. They were biting and scratching at her and she couldn’t move as she watched them rip Claire apart. Unable to pull the trigger she could only stare at the gruesome scene in shock. Her heart seized painfully and she felt her will to fight leave her once she knew that Claire was dead. Sobbing to herself she grieved over Chris and Claire, her mind unable to process what was happening until she felt grasping at her legs once again. Claire was now crawling towards her slowly and she closed her eyes so she did not have to see her. 

Keeping Chris at bay with her boot she loaded the magazine of her gun with one more bullet before she clicked it into the gun firmly. Listening to the sounds of Chris’s growling and Claire’s pained groans she lifted the gun to her temple not allowing her eyes to open up as she did so.

“Help me.” She heard a voice croak before she pulled the trigger. 

Eyes slamming open Jill felt like she was dying when she lifted her body up. Having moved too quickly Jill laid back down and she whimpered realizing from the heat on her face that she was crying. 

“You’re okay.” A warm voice whispered and that explained to Jill who it was she was laying on. Shifting from Claire’s legs, Jill’s chest rose and fell in uneven breaths. Blinking up at Claire while the horrid nightmare sent shivers throughout her entire body she struggled hard to speak. 

“C-Claire?” The shaking brunette mumbled sitting up slowly which allowed Claire to wrap her arms around her in a hug. Reciprocating slowly Jill grabbed the fabric of Claire’s black tank top, sobbing into her shoulder because she was unable to say anything else. 

“Jill, it’s going to be okay. I promise.” Claire urged rubbing her hands up and down Jill’s back, warming her up as she did so. One of Claire’s fingers had scrapped past the wound in her back but she ignored the sting as she tried to regain her focus. She first listened to the sound of Claire’s breathing before she focused on the warmth of Claire’s body as she continued to comfort her. The touch of Claire’s skin soothed her when her hands reached the upper part of her back and her shoulders. Claire’s calloused hands worked to massage her in an effort to release the tight tension in Jill’s muscles. 

“I thought you w-were d-de…” Jill whispered out in another whimper pushing her body closer into Claire’s as if she was her life line. 

Claire's comforting presence was slowly bringing Jill back to reality. Feeling whips of Claire’s hair touch her face she turned when she felt Claire’s lips caress the side of her head and face. Heart burning with sorrow, the woman let her eyes fall closed as Claire kissed away her tears. Thankful for Claire who had been the one to pull her from the wreck, Jill’s heart was engulfed with many emotions. Claire whispered her support and soft comforting words into her ear all the while and the words were helping to clear away the hurricane raging in her cluttered mind and chest. The pain was intense and Jill could have sworn this was much worse than that first night after Arklay. 

After several minutes of shuddering and crying, she could breathe again gasping out with a shudder once her pounding heart began to relax. Gripping Claire’s hand tightly she felt as if she was resurfacing from the depths of the ocean and she opened up her eyes, her vision clearing as she took in the woman in front of her. The world seemed to stop revolving once she did and she found her center upon seeing Claire smile at her. Claire’s ocean blue eyes spread calm through her and she dipped her head down, her short hair falling to cover her face. Tears were leaking from her eyes and she focused on the drips of her tears from her face as well as the grip Claire had on her hands. Firm and present. Claire was there and she was alive, and most of what happened in the nightmare hasn’t actually happened.

Gulping Jill lifted her stare from their joined hands back up to Claire who’s facial expression remained calm and concerned. Unsure of how Claire was remaining calm in this moment Jill attributed it to Claire’s strength which kept her from running out of Raccoon City in the beginning. From fleeing when she could have left others to die, but she had chosen to rescue them instead without a second thought. Her strength which she was sure has kept her from losing her mind to the shadows of danger at every corner. One such horrid shadow which was her own mind. 

“Thank you…” Jill said, pouring all of her gratefulness for Claire into those two words. 

Shaking her head Claire smiled tenderly at her, “You have been battling all of this by yourself Jill. I have just been by your side amazed at how strong and incredible you are but you don’t have to suffer this alone...I am here for you and I am not going anywhere.” The redhead said, and Jill was certain Claire had to have been panicking deep down about everything that had happened and yet she had stayed calm to make sure she was okay. Exhaling Jill pushed away the pain in her chest and the urge to sob again. 

“Jill I mean it...I know you are just as terrified as I am about that ugly fucking monster and the fact that Sherry is missing, but we’re in this together. We’re going to make it and I am going to help you every step of the way.” Claire went on passionately, her hands sliding down Jill’s arms until they found her hands again. Grabbing them from Jill’s lap she kissed each of Jill’s bruised knuckles. The intimate gesture caught Jill's face alight with a blush.

“You won’t be left alone to suffer in silence anymore because you have me and you have my brother too. You don’t have to be afraid to show that you are afraid.” She whispered next and Jill’s heart doubled in pace in reply. 

Touched by the small gesture that was among the many that Claire has afforded her, Jill’s frown lifted into a smile. She felt renewed and she was beginning to shake less as Claire’s head tilted slightly to the left in a cute manner examining Jill’s expression in a likely attempt to get a read on what was on her mind. 

“You’re right…” Jill rasped squeezing Claire’s hands tightly before she intertwined both of their hands together. 

“We’re in this together.” And her eyes fell to Claire’s pink lips and then back up into her eyes. Her restraint had kept her from doing so hours ago and on the tram but the desire was stronger than before. She cared about this woman and she couldn’t imagine getting through this without her. Claire was compassionate, brave, daring, and every beautiful aspect of her personality shone through her actions. They may have only met the night before but Jill was hit with an overwhelming feeling of affection that she hasn’t felt in years. Work was her life, and it defined who Jill was. She would stay forever dedicated to the cause and effort of righting the wrongs of Umbrella, but it did not mean she would stop herself from exploring something new. 

“You’re thinking too much, Valentine.” Claire said interrupting her thought pattern as an easy going smile lit up her face. 

“I’m just grateful…” Jill breathed in reply a smile remaining on her face as they looked at one another. 

"Only Chris has seen me like that and he has his own demons to fight. I can’t always lean on someone else but...you give me hope that...” Jill mumbled out her sentence drifting as Claire’s eyes searched her own again, the look in her eyes making her feel exposed. Despite this feeling, Jill was okay with it because it was Claire.

Blushing softly Jill squeezed Claire’s hand to gather her thoughts. 

“That there is happiness in this world for me.” She eventually whispered blinking when Claire tucked a loose strand of her from her face but she was certain Claire was just using it as an excuse to touch her. The look in Claire’s eyes was intense after that and she took notice of where her gaze had fallen. Air thickening within that moment Jill’s heart raced for a different reason. The incredible urge to show Claire exactly how she felt took a hold of her and she threw caution to the wind because that was her nature.

“I have you to thank for that.” Jill stated before she tugged Claire by her shirt, meeting her lips with Claire’s. The forward action had startled Claire who was rigid and tense before she immediately relaxed, melting into Jill. Tilting her head to fit her lips to Jill’s they kissed deeply pouring their intense motions into their first real declaration of their feelings for each other. 

When their lips parted Claire spoke, “Jill I think we-mmmf,” but Claire’s sentence was interrupted by Jill’s heated lips. She was obviously not done with the kiss and Claire grinned earning a small laugh from Jill which vibrated between their lips. 

Warmth enveloped their chests and despite the dryness of their lips, Claire knew it was the best kiss she has ever experienced. Red cheeks greeted her when she opened her eyes and she grinned upon seeing Jill who was looking at her with nervousness. 

“Was that good?” Jill asked in a low whisper the lower register of Jill’s tone sending shivers that delighted the redhead. Licking her lips slowly Claire nodded her head in reply. 

“That was very good. Feel free to do that anytime.” Claire joked, laughing due to the rush of joy that she was feeling at having finally kissed Jill Valentine. 

Rolling her eyes playfully Jill stood from the concrete turning to look at the wrecked tram behind them. Frowning at the sight she turned back to Claire who was still reeling from everything. Their stare being one of mutual understanding, they walked towards the door nearby, Claire looking over when she noticed Jill’s hesitation upon opening it. Shakily Jill’s hands gripped the valve of the door. 

Claire touched Jill’s back from behind and that seemed to propel Jill forward and she opened it leading the both of them inside before she shut the metal door behind them. 

“I hope we can find Sherry soon.” Claire whispered as Jill flicked on her flashlight seeming to fall back into combat mode the further they walked. 

“We will.” Jill replied nudging Claire as they walked into a room that wasn’t shrouded in darkness. Turning off her flashlight Jill paused in confusion upon finding grenade’s that were laying on top of a green cloth and a C4 charge when she uncovered another cloth where there was a case. 

“Who left this?” Claire commented suspiciously taking the two of the grenades when Jill handed them to her. 

“I have no idea.” She remarked with a shrug picking up the C4 and the detonator that lay beside it. 

“That fucker Nikolai must have been the one responsible for the C4 within the tram.” The brunette thought aloud setting the C4 back down before she aggressively reloaded her sub machine gun which she knew had one more clip of ammo left.

“I have no doubts that he planned to keep them from evacuating...you were right about Umbrella.” Claire said, shaking her head, “We need to make the bastards pay.” She said punching her fist into her open hand for emphasis. 

“Alright Rocky Balboa, just don’t get that pretty face scratched up will ya?” Jill teased out upon seeing the blood all over Claire’s hand. Looking down at her hand which was covered with cuts from the glass she snorted. 

“I didn’t even feel it and are you saying you only love me for my looks?” Claire joked, not noticing when Jill’s gaze darted away. Claire turned to look around the room for any more supplies oblivious to Jill who was biting her lip. 

Hearing Jill clear her throat she glanced at her and she followed after her when she walked to the next door. She must have been as eager as she was to find Sherry. Grabbing some bullets and shell casings she had found within the room she pulled the bandage from her forehead as they left the room. 

Upon entering the next room they were nearly surrounded by the undead but when they teamed together Jill and Claire were able to clear the room, splattering zombie guts throughout it before they ran up the stairs. 

“Ughh, this never ceases to be disgusting.” Claire groaned out, swiping something from her shoulder as they walked. Jill remained silent and Claire glanced at the brunette but she had an unreadable expression on her face. Hearing the echo of their footsteps she breathed a sigh when they finally made it outside. Breathing in the fresh city air she looked around to see a river that ran under a bridge and several lights that illuminated the area. 

“There’s the clock tower.” Jill said touching Claire’s arm to get her to look in the direction of the tower past the bridge. 

“I wish I could say I was relieved to see it.” Claire commented with guilt while Jill squeezed her arm in an offer of comfort. 

“Come on, he had to have gone this way.” She said jogging towards the bridge but her steps slowed when she heard a roar in the distance. 

“Dammit.” Claire swore gulping nervously since she knew exactly who that horrific sound was coming from. 

“Hurry up Claire.” Jill urged gripping the C4 in her hand when they made it to the bridge. “I have a feeling we’re going to have company soon if we don’t go.” Claire nodded at Jill and she kept with Jill’s hurried pace, but as soon as they touched the middle of the bridge the roar got louder and louder.

Turning to look despite telling herself not too Claire's stomach swirled upon seeing Nemesis. His large form was as intimidating as ever and his thundering footsteps greeted their ears as he galloped in their direction despite the fact his entire body was engulfed in a violent orange flame. The creature looked to be pissed off even more than before and Claire shuddered at seeing its rage.

Closing in on them faster than they expected, Jill and Claire ran and leaped to the end of the bridge. 

“Claire move now!” Jill yelled and she waited for Claire to get clear of the bridge before she clicked the detonator blowing up the bridge as soon as Nemesis stepped onto it. Watching the metal rocket to the sky she fell flat to keep from getting embedded by debris. As planned Nemesis fell with a splash along with the broken bridge and into the river below. 

Looking back up into the sky in alarm Jill suddenly rolled just as a sharp piece of the bridge rained down impaling the brick underneath and where Jill had been just two seconds prior. Surviving the close call she breathed out keeping her body still for a moment as the sounds of treading water entered her ears. She doubted the monster could swim and she hoped that he would be too heavy to be able to lift his body out of it.

“You’re lucky that was badass because that wasn’t much of a warning.” She heard Claire say from next to her and Jill turned her head, her brown hair splaying across the concrete. 

"Are you okay?" Jill asked with concern shifting up to look Claire over despite her reassuring nod. Being matched with a similar movement they were face to face again. 

“Sure, you could say that.” Claire breathed out in a short laugh.

Emotions running sky high they simply stared at one another until a dark chuckle interrupted their moment.

"You dykes just don't know how to stay dead, do you?" An accented voice growled and they each turned with a glare upon seeing Nikolai. He looked to be completely unscathed and he was holding Sherry with a hand to her mouth while another was holding a pistol to her head. 

They could both see the fear in Sherry's eyes and they stood hatred and rage flowing through them like a vibrant spreading fire. 

"You piece of shit let Sherry go!" Claire yelled out holding up her handgun and pointing it directly at his face. Nikolai's smirk only increased into a more sinister smile.

"Ah ah, I am the one holding a weapon to her head. Don't think you can threaten me." Jill held up her handgun as well with her gun aimed directly between his eyes. 

"What do you want with her?" Jill asked in a cool tone even though she was seething on the inside. Watching Sherry struggle briefly the grip on her gun tightened when he tightened his grip on her face.

Laughing Nikolai backed away subtly forcing Sherry to follow.

"You cannot achieve your purpose if you have a child with you. She's only going to slow you down." Appearing more confused by the insanity of this man Jill was tempted to silence him right there, but she knew she couldn't because of the threat to Sherry's life.

"Sherry!" Claire yelled out and Sherry looked at her frantically with tears spilling from Sherry's eyes as Nikolai suddenly pulled Sherry with him into the shadows. Confused as to why he was backing up she suddenly heard a terrifying roar from behind them. It sounded like Nemesis was hell bent on not dying to Claire's utter frustration. 

“Shit.”

Not allowing herself to glance back she felt Jill grab her arm and she pulled her forward into a fast sprint.

"What the fuck?" She heard Jill yell and upon glancing behind them she understood why. The thing had mutated with one of his arms becoming almost as long as his increased height. It was ugly, crimson, and serrated while the rest of him was now blood red. Somehow he still had on his dark coat which was missing in places and he had acquired a giant rocket launcher that was likely bigger than her entire body. 

Watching the case fall to the wayside she saw the Umbrella logo on the front of it before her eyes flicked back up to look at the monstrosity before her. He had managed to leap from the water and he was now on their side of the bridge with a fucking rocket launcher. 

"Jill!" Claire yelled once a red laser honed in on Jill's back, a loud eruption filling their ears when Nemesis fired the first rocket. Hearing Claire warn her, Jill dodges it in a roll lifting up her hands into the air when the projectile exploded in front of them. 

"They must really want me dead." Jill commented, continuing her run with Claire until they arrived at the clock tower area. There was a large number of cars and a large bush and foliage structure in the middle of the circled pathway. Glancing off to the side she saw the clock tower entrance where there was a gate that was lifted upward. 

"STARRRRSSSS." Nemesis roared as he was getting closer and the roar sounded much worse after his mutation. The vocalizations of the creature were slowed and darker while the thuds of his steps rumbled the ground underneath their feet. 

“We can’t fight this thing with these!” Claire yelled out pulling up her shotgun as her eyes widened when Jill had to do a cartwheel to dodge yet another projectile. He was focused upon Jill and seemed to be ignoring Claire for now. 

“We need to make him lose the launcher in his grasp. I think it has the intelligence of an animal!” Jill yelled back leaping to the ground when another projectile headed her way hitting a vehicle and decimating it as the vehicle to her right exploded. Seeing that Jill was getting hampered and that she was running out of spaces to run, Claire pulled out a grenade before she threw it watching with success when it landed near his foot. 

The laser soon moved to her forehead however and the flowing red burned her eyes as he pulled the trigger. Claire moved in a hard left the heat of the fires and the projectile nearby heating up her back while another vehicle exploded. Gasping because of that close call she gripped her shotgun tighter. 

Hearing another explosion she watched as Nemesis fell to the ground seeming to take a lot of damage from her hit. Running towards him despite her fear she aimed the shotgun and she shot, her gunfire being matched by Jill who was shooting him repeatedly with her handgun. The bullets penetrated his skin and he retaliated by trying to hit them with the large weapon in his hands. Ducking away simultaneously Claire and Jill moved to get several feet away from him when they noticed that he was getting back up. 

“You want S.T.A.R.S. I will give you S.T.A.R.S!” She heard Jill yell out and Claire would have whistled if Nemesis wasn’t already thudding his way towards them. Oddly he was no longer shooting projectiles but he was instead using the launcher itself like it was a baseball bat. 

Jill immediately piled her clip into Nemesis while she was ducking from his furious swipes. All the while Claire was shooting him in the side with her shotgun causing him to thrash around more sporadically as a result.

Nemesis growled furiously and he started to quicken his swipes. The ongoing gunshots were weakening him and suddenly the sound of a pin being released stopped him completely in his tracks. The clink of the grenade hitting his face entered Claire and Jill’s ears and they moved to get their distance, the both of them rolling into the side of a vehicle when the frag exploded several fragments entering Nemesis and catching him on fire as a result.

Lifting up from the large van, Claire wiped sweat from her face when Nemesis stood once again but his face was melting from the fire exposing parts of his skull and his blood red muscle. Most of his flesh was gone and his body was twitching the sight creating bile to rise in her throat. 

Barely having enough time to recover from her jump Claire’s eyes widened when he ran directly towards her. The force of his run seemed to make him blurry as he impacted Claire the force of his punch knocking her back into the van and unconscious. 

“Claire!” Jill screamed out firing the rest of her clip into Nemesis before he came for her swiping as quickly as before. An intense ferocity rose in Jill’s chest and she continued to fight him using the rest of her ammo in the process. 

Out of ammo completely she flipped away from another of his thrashes glancing up in confusion when he suddenly stopped. To her horror he was mutating again and he seemed to grow in size as his limbs grew into horrifically large claws. 

Jill growled, tossing her semi-automatic to the ground before she moved near Claire picking up her shotgun that had fallen on the ground. She did not have enough time to see if Claire was okay so she put it out of her mind having to believe that Claire was okay in order to finish this. 

Jill yelled out as if she was a warlord about to come down the hill after their greatest enemy, getting as close to him as she could before she shot him twice in the head with the shotgun. It injured him enough that he leaped away no longer attempting to attack her as he jumped around like a large cat. Trying to not focus too much on the frightening image in front of her she kept up firing whenever he edged close enough. 

Gripping the last two grenades that she had on her belt Jill blinked and she tossed one after another as soon as he made a leap in her direction. 

“Go to hell.” Jill swore lifting up her arm as the grenades exploded the force of the explosions knocking Nemesis back towards the inside of the clock tower. Watching for any movement she pushed her body forward despite the protest from her lungs. Breathing out heavily she felt an euphoria flow through her once she realized Nemesis was finally dead. 

Turning to run towards Claire, Jill felt bile rise at her throat since Claire still wasn’t moving. Heart hammering at the panic she was feeling she kept moving towards the person she cared most about. 

“Claire…” Jill gasped out leaning down to Claire and touching her face trying to get her to open her eyes. Leaning her head down to Claire’s chest she tried to listen for her heartbeat, this tactic unsuccessful she touched her fingers to Claire’s pale neck searching desperately for her pulse. Finally after several seconds of feeling for it she did find it but it was weaker than she liked. 

“You’re okay...she’s okay.” Jill said standing and preparing to pick her up when a shadow loomed over her. Glancing up in shock Jill did not have enough time before Nemesis roared and he fell in front of her but not before embedded something in Jill’s shoulder. Glancing down to the object in utter shock Jill suddenly collapsed onto the ground.

Convulsing and shaking on the ground Jill’s mouth foamed as the Nemesis parasite entered her body. Worst of all she was unable to move or fight the most intense pain she has ever felt when Nikolai appeared above her with a grin on his face. 

“Well done Jill.” He chuckled out as he turned to look at Claire with a devilish smirk on his face. 

“Jill no!” Sherry sobbed out from the clock tower causing Nikolai to turn and look at her. 

“You should have stayed hidden.” He remarked watching her with a glare when she ran to hug Claire. Sobbing into the redhead’s chest Sherry’s screams rang through the air when Nikolai lifted her up from her. 

“No! Let me go!” Sherry cried out helplessly but he kept his hold on her firm. 

“Not until you lead me to William Birkin.” He remarked with a smile that made Sherry hate this evil man even more. 

“If I do, will you let me go?” Sherry asked her tears drying as she slowly stopped struggling. Looking to the growing pink on Sherry’s face, Nikolai actually looked like a man for a moment. 

“Yes, I have no need for you afterwards.” He remarked setting her down but keeping a grip on her shoulder. As Sherry and Nikolai disappeared from the clock tower Jill and Claire remained unconscious. 

Hours later unknowing of the disaster that had befallen Jill and Claire, Carlos and Leon sprinted to the clock tower. 

Coming across Jill who was laying still on her stomach Carlos' eyes widened in shock. 

“What the hell happened?” Leon asked aloud and Claire abruptly coughed from where she was next to Jill. She had managed to crawl beside her but she had shortly blacked out before she could figure out why Jill wasn’t moving. 

Pulling Claire carefully she blinked her eyes open, “You’re alive.” She croaked out earning a small smile from the blonde. 

“I could say the same to you.” Leon remarked keeping his hand on her back as she sat up coughing more before she grabbed at her stomach. 

“Something’s wrong with Jill.” Carlos said, catching their attention as he lifted the unconscious woman onto his back keeping her steady upon hearing her groan softly. 

“Jill.” Claire gasped out standing to go to her only for Leon to stop her. 

“You’re injured.” He said but she glared at him with stubbornness and she stood anyway despite the dizziness that made her head spin. 

“That thing did something to her...I think she’s been infected.” Carlos said and Claire’s heart fell. 

“I-Infected?” She said nearly falling to the ground if it wasn’t for Leon who had grabbed her to stop her. She noticed the gunshot wound on his shoulder but she was too taken aback by Jill’s condition to process it. 

“Can you do something?” Claire yelled out in a panic. Her head was swimming with an intense fear but it simmered when Carlos nodded his head, his dark hair covering part of his sweaty face. The worry for Jill did not lessen when she looked to the brunette who was looking sickly pale. 

“We have a doctor who has a cure...we were supposed to evacuate him and we determined that he is at the hospital.” Trying to steady her breathing she pushed off of Leon hoping he understood that she was angry because she was feeling overwhelmed. 

“Please save her.” Claire said, feeling as if her heart was ripping in two. Feeling a hand touch her shoulder she looked to Leon before she glanced back to Carlos. 

Carlos nodded slowly in response, “This woman here avenged Mikhail's death...I owe her that at least.” Claire’s gaze lowered at that. 

“You saw what happened?” She asked receiving a shake of the head from the uniformed man. 

“Nikolai had reported that something had attacked the tram and he said he was going to the clock tower with you, Jill, and Sherry.” Carlos said, directing them to the tower gate as they walked or in Claire’s case limped. Giving Jill nervous glances, Claire’s gaze darkened at the mention of Nikolai. 

“That bastard kidnapped Sherry and left us to die, Carlos.” She said bitterly her hands clenching into fists the need for vengeance soaring in her heart. 

Looking at Claire and Leon suddenly Carlos' mouth formed a thin line. 

“Then we better hurry because I think he might take away our only chance at saving Jill.”


	7. Traitors Among Us

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been excited to post this chapter and it honestly went a direction I did not expect myself until I wrote it. I hope you enjoy my take on a dynamic between Leon and Carlos as well as the introduction of...well you will have to read to see who I am speaking of. No spoilers, that's why I don't summarize because I would be too afraid to take the fun out of it! (Also I am terrible at summaries forgive me. XD) 
> 
> There will be monsters, trauma, and tender moments. Please enjoy. :)

Rain cascaded from above hard against the windows of the hospital they were within. It was dark, haunting, and stoic inside. There was broken glass that littered the floor and disturbing amounts of crimson red that streaked the white halls and floor where it had likely spilled minutes after the outbreak. It was a disaster area and Claire knew there were bodies that were moving and waiting for their next kill to feed upon inside. Immediately upon bursting within the Raccoon Hospital, Claire had noticed the red letters above their heads some of which had flickered out. Much like the life in the city. 

Cringing she kept her pace with Carlos and Leon who have been quiet throughout their venture towards the hospital, save for the occasional nudge or yell to warn of any oncoming threats before they rounded the next corner. 

Worried blue eyes continued to flicker to Jill who was unconscious on Carlos' back and Claire found that she was grateful for Carlos who had refrained from complaining as he carried the woman the entire trek. Perhaps she had judged the man too harshly based on her first impression of him, but she also could not help but distrust anyone attached to Umbrella. After all, the Umbrella Corporation was responsible for putting Jill in her deadly condition and they were responsible for the deaths of an entire city. 

Rage boiled in Claire’s chest when the image of Nikolai flashed in her mind. There was no telling of the actions of that man and something about Mikhail’s glare towards him may have been telling of his dubious nature to begin with. Carlos proved that not everyone involved with Umbrella was evil, but Claire knew a bastard when she saw one and Nikolai fit that description to a T. 

“Claire? Are you with us?” She heard Leon question and she glanced up with a jump not realizing he had been speaking to her. She was standing next to Jill’s bedside where Carlos had laid her and Claire had gotten lost in thought.

“I-I…” She started as an intense heaviness washed over her features. Being hit by the tyrant at the police station was a cakewalk compared to the force that Nemesis hit her with. She was going to feel that ache in her bones for weeks. Glancing up at Leon who looked concerned, she offered an easy going smile but her pain was written all across her face. 

“I think I need to stay with Jill...that thing you saw at the clock tower r-really did a number on me.” Claire admitted gritting her teeth when she moved to sit on a chair, the kind that were uncomfortable because they were in a hospital and they apparently never thought comfortable chairs were a necessity. 

Giving Claire a sympathetic smile Leon nodded his head. “I get it Claire believe me. Getting shot knocked me out for who knows how long…” He said patting his own chest after his statement. 

“How did you-?” Claire asked, receiving a chuckle from the cop, “It’s a long story...but I met Sherry’s mother, Annette Birkin while I was in the sewers. She claims no responsibility for the T-Virus leakage but...Claire there’s another virus out there called the G-Virus that hasn’t escaped out yet.” Groaning in reply Claire’s gaze moved up to Carlos who appeared to be listening from behind Leon. 

“That might explain all of these monsters we have seen but I still don’t know. Until we have proof…” Carlos mentioned looking to Jill with concern before firming his expression. 

“I have an in, someone who plans to gather up plenty of proof.” Leon remarked looking to Carlos sharply before he looked back over to Claire with a softer look in his eyes. 

“We won’t let them get away with what they have done, but first things first let’s help Jill and then find Sherry…” The blonde man sighed receiving affirmations from both Claire and Carlos. 

“My partner has traced Dr. Bard’s location for me. The doctor sounds like he knows how to synthesize a vaccine for the T-Virus.” Carlos elaborated. 

“Thank you Carlos, for doing this...if Jill were to die…” Claire’s sentence drifted because she did not know how to finish it. That kind of thinking would only take her to dark places that she could not go if she was going to remain intact. 

“Don’t thank me until we get the job done Claire.” Carlos said, offering her a comforting smile. 

“Let’s get going then.” Leon said, raising a brow at the other man. Carlos nodded and he followed behind the blonde haired man with his assault rifle firm in his grip. 

“Good luck!” Claire breathed out her tone chipper despite the heavy feeling of lead that was weighing down her heart. 

Claire watched the two men leave before she shifted closer to Jill’s bedside so she could grab her hand. Watching the rise and fall of Jill’s chest she gripped her hand tighter, not liking how cold Jill’s hand was feeling. Warming them with her own hands she leaned her head against the bed with thoughts swirling in her mind. 

“You’re strong, you can fight it.” She whispered out with conviction her eyes portraying her worry as she looked Jill over again.

Carlos steadied his breathing as he aimed his rifle keeping his eyes trained forward as he listened for any movement. He could hear Leon’s footsteps behind him and the groans from the undead in the next room. Opening the door in front of him he quickly shot at one of them until they fell to the floor. Leon fired at the second with his handgun knocking it back before he neared it firing two more times at its head. 

“Leon!” Carlos said arching his fist back before he punched the zombie behind him across the room. 

“Thanks.” Leon commented, seeming impressed before he silenced the rotting woman in scrubs he had been focusing on. 

“You pack a heavy punch there.” In which Carlos flexed his bicep in response with a cocky grin on his face. 

“It’s for the ladies...or the men. I don’t discriminate.” Carlos chuckled out glancing around the room to make certain they were clear before they moved on. However, just as they stepped towards the door a zombie busted it open and it landed onto Leon knocking him to the floor. 

Grunting in surprise Leon wrestled with it to keep it from biting his face or neck. The zombie screamed and snarled at his face in its attempts to eat him before Carlos lifted the zombie off of him by its neck. Kicking the zombie to the floor Carlos aimed his gun at its head before he shot splattering what used to be its face all over the white floor. 

Lifting up from the floor Leon brushed his uniform off glaring slightly when Carlos gave him a smile. 

“Come on.” Leon said holding his handgun up as he pushed through the door followed closely by Carlos. Moving down a hall which was nearly pitch black Leon’s gaze flicked around since he wanted no more surprises. 

“These things are harder to fight than they look.” Leon whispered once they arrived inside of Dr. Bard’s Office. An automated voice rang off an introduction stating they needed to state their business into the intercom. 

“I’m not judging you. I know you can fight.” Carlos remarked with a half-smile before he walked to the intercom. 

“Dr. Bard, it’s Carlos! I’m the one you spoke to at the police station.” He yelled out but there was no reply. Staring at the red light that did not switch to green he groaned. 

“Something’s wrong…” He growled out looking to the door knowing they would have to find some way to open it. 

“Do you think that Nikolai guy got here first?” Leon questioned with a frown.

“If he has then…” Carlos shook his head not wanting to confirm his belief. 

“Let’s just find a way to open this damn door. Jill doesn’t have forever.” He said locking gazes with Leon before they both looked around for something they could use. 

“Hey...there’s a tape. Maybe the doctor records his conversations with clients.” Leon laughed hollowly, lifting it up and pressing play. Instead it played a conversation showing off the Doctor’s “charming” personality.

“What a dick.” Leon whispered hearing Carlos chuckle. 

“Sometimes we gotta work with them.” He said with a shrug taking it from Leon as he moved back to the intercom. Pressing play the woman’s voice rang out but it brought some unwanted attention.

A giant creature suddenly leaped into the room screaming as it did so. It was large, green, and it looked reptilian. 

“What the fuck!” Leon shouted reaching for his shotgun as it thrashed its large claws at Carlos. Getting his arm cut by three lashes Carlos backed off firing his rifle into it but that was not enough to take it down. 

“It’s never easy is it?” Carlos yelled out walking backwards only for his clip to run out, lifting his head to the Hunter he held out his arm to block his face but Leon fired his shotgun point blank managing to propel the Hunter backwards. Blood seeped from Carlos' arm and the creature's face as it writhed on the floor. 

Leon proceeded to move closer and he fired another shot to end its screaming. Letting out a breath Leon turned to Carlos glancing to the large slashes on his forearm. 

“Are you alright?” He asked searching his packs for some herbs but coming up empty. Carlos offered up a first aid can before he sprayed it directly onto his left arm wincing from a bitch of a sting. 

“I’ll live.” He replied cheekily, “Thanks for saving me, pretty boy.” 

“What...I’m not…” Leon sputtered in a blush trying not to let Carlos smile get underneath his skin. 

“Relax…” Carlos said, patting Leon’s shoulder only for the cop to shrug his hand off, “I meant it as a compliment.” He laughed before he moved to the white doors that opened as soon as he neared. Reloading his rifle he entered the room to see a grim sight. 

Dr.Bard was dead in a chair with a bullet hole in his head and by the looks of pale face he has been dead for a while. Glancing around the room he ran to the computer and he started it up, his face falling into a deeper frown as he listened to the doctor’s last recording before his murder. 

“Fuck!” Carlos growled out punching the computer screen in front of him and cracking it earning a curious glance from Leon. 

“What is it?” Leon asked the side stepping the dead man in the chair next to him to move closer. 

“It’s not here.”

“What do you mean it’s not here?” Leon questioned in alarm, noticing the panic clear on Carlos' face. 

“That fucking traitor must have taken it and who knows where he is now.” Carlos growled out putting his hand to his face. 

“And Jill was right about Umbrella...but you all chose to trust me anyway.” He said with a downtrodden sigh. He looked defeated which appeared odd to Leon even if he did not know Carlos at all. Shifting closer Leon offered him an awkward pat on the back. 

“Hey we’re going to find him don’t worry…” Leon said with determination. 

“I don’t know if we’ll be fast en-.” But then Carlos’ sentence was interrupted by the crackle of his radio and a voice that immediately grated on his nerves.  
“Looking for something Carlos?” He heard the Russian say in a dark chuckle. Angrily gripping his radio he tightened his grip on his gun. 

“Where are you Nikolai?” Carlos questioned squinting his eyes as he spoke. 

“I am the one asking the questions...how is that bitch feeling after her little dance with Nemesis?” Nikolai asked with an obvious smirk on his face. 

“When I find you I am going to make you wish you were dead.” Carlos threatened looking to Leon who had crossed his arms as he listened. 

“Haha, I know one of you is going to be dead very soon. Unless you can find the vaccine in time.”

“Where is it?” He said with barely contained rage. 

“Alright I will make you a deal...the vaccine for an admission of guilt.” Glancing at Leon he tried to make sense of his request when Nikolai went on. 

“Admit to Umbrella’s actions and the real intent of the U.B.C.S. What were they actually here for Carlos?” He heard Nikolai laugh out and he scowled. Leon looked at Carlos with confusion but he did not say anything. 

“Then will you give us the vaccine?” Carlos questioned with impatience. 

“I will give it to you personally, us being old pals and all.” Rolling his eyes at Nikolai’s comment Carlos sighed deeply. 

“The Umbrella Biohazard Countermeasure Service was deployed to rescue civilians from the outbreak of the T-Virus. This was our main intent but we had separate orders to execute non-essential Umbrella personnel on sight...they did not explain to us why. I know now it was because they wanted to get rid of anyone or anything that would implicate them as being the cause of this outbreak.” Carlos said with a sigh avoiding glancing at Leon as he did so. 

“Happy?” 

“No, what else?” Nikolai scoffed out and Carlos shook his head. 

“There is nothing else! You know as well as I do that we were hired to follow Umbrella’s orders if we were going to get paid!”

“Now that's what I wanted to hear, just wanted a confirmation that you are no better than I am.” Carlos bit his tongue in response and he held back Leon with a look when he saw that he wanted to say something. 

Suddenly something hit the ground next to them and Carlos and Leon looked down their eyes widening when they saw it was a flash grenade. A bright flash of light blinded them and the sound seemed to block their ears as they groaned their natural response to cover their own eyes lifting their hands into their faces. 

“Here, have it.” They heard a muffled voice say before Carlos blinked his eyes open rapidly to see the vaccine as it tumbled through the air. Reacting instantly he reached for it quickly before it could shatter against the wall. The vaccine pushing past his grasp he panicked until a hand caught it. Gripping it tightly Leon stuck it into his hip pouch for safe-keeping. 

“Hurry, he must still be here if he got the drop on us!” Leon barked and he ran towards the door looking to the left and right despite his blurry vision. Tumbling after Leon, Carlos did the same noticing a shadowed figure down the right hallway. 

“Nikolai!” He yelled out chasing after the figure as his vision began to refocus. 

“You bastard, where’s Sherry?” Leon called out following after him as he turned the next corner. Upon seeing more corridors they marched after him but Nikolai was somehow faster. 

Keeping up their pace they continued to run despite a few zombies they had disrupted in the process. Finally catching Nikolai at a dead end he raised his pistol towards the both of them with a smirk on his face. 

“Ahh, this is how you return the favor?” The double agent scoffed out. Carlos said nothing as he kept his gun trained on the man, tempted to shoot him where he stood. 

“Tell us where Sherry is and maybe we won’t put a bullet in your brain.” Leon growled out his shotgun aimed directly at his face. 

“Think about it, where else would she be? She’s dead, just like the rest of you are gonna be when it's all said and done.” Eyebrows crinkling down Leon shook his head. 

“You’re lying.” He said shoving the shotgun closer to his chest. Nikolai could only chuckle in response. 

“The little girl gave me all the information I needed. She would have died anyway, I actually extended her some mercy.” He said with an evil grin causing hatred to burn in Leon’s eyes. 

A gun fired hitting Nikolai in the leg and he shouted out in surprise falling to the floor as it nearly crippled him.

“Fuck.” He gasped out touching his leg and seeing blood as it pooled under him. Glancing up angry blue eyes greeted him and before he knew it he was disarmed. 

“That’s for Jill and Sherry, asshole.” Claire remarked, kicking his handgun away before she punched him hard across the face with her fist. He spat out blood and he tensed when she put a gun under his chin. 

“Now that it’s under my terms, where is Sherry?” She growled out with emphasis towards the end of her sentence. She had surprised Carlos and Leon who gave each other impressed glances before they focused back on Nikolai and Claire. 

“And trust me, I won’t hesitate to kill you right fucking here.” Claire spat out stepping on his leg causing him to grimace. Glaring up at Claire, blood dripped past his lips. 

“Got to say I can respect a woman who knows what she is doing.” He said in which more force was put upon his injured leg causing him to yell in pain. 

“Okay okay...the little girl is in the lab underneath this hospital, is that what you wanted to know? So please don't kill me.” Nikolai fake pleaded with an unsympathetic stare obvious on his face. Chuckling Claire shook her head slowly. 

“You’re actually pretty pathetic. Plus you’re not worth it.” And before Nikolai could respond it was lights out and she punched him hard enough with her gun to knock him out and into the stack of debris beside him. 

Carlos whistled at that with a laugh, “That was some good work Claire and I thought you were done for the count tonight.” 

“Who knew you had it in ya.” Leon said after Carlos received a grim smile from Claire. 

“Waiting in there, my mind just kept conjuring the worst case scenario...did you find it?” She asked the both of them, relief flooding through her features when she received collective nods. 

“Then come on you slowpokes, we have a very attractive cop to save.” She said moving towards the place she had arrived from wincing occasionally because of how fast she was moving. Leon took notice and so did Carlos but they knew better than to tell Claire to slow down. 

“We could call her supercop.” Carlos piped up and Leon laughed quietly seeming to like it. 

“Then what am I?” Leon questioned with a tilt of his head so his blonde hair covered one of his eyes. 

“Like I said you’re pretty boy.” Carlos said with a shrug and Claire could not help but smile at that. Leon groaned at him and he shook his head. 

“You do look like you could be in a boy band Leon.” Claire mentioned as they rounded the next corner glad there were no zombies along this pathway. 

Leon raised a brow, “Says the woman who looks like a les-.”

“Don’t finish that sentence, I rock the babe in leather look okay?” Her rebuttal made Carlos snicker internally before he paused upon hearing several loud footsteps. Glancing behind him he opened fire seeing two Hunters who were running in their direction at full speed.

“What the hell are those?” Claire called out shooting her handgun at the first one but it seemed to irritate it more than hurt it. Leon joined their assault and he managed to reveal one’s sensitive skin when he shot it with the shotgun. 

“Shoot it!” Leon shouted and Carlos turned his attention to the vulnerable one with his rifle until he fell to the ground in a flop. As a result the second nearly tripped on its dead body before he leaped forward directly towards Leon. Grunting it managed to cut into one of his sides before Claire kicked it away with her boot. Carlos responded by punching it in the face forcing it to the ground. The three of them proceeded to fire at it together until it was nothing but a mess of red and dead lizard. 

“Well I have seen everything.” Claire sighed out but Leon shook his head. 

“Not everything.” He said getting up with Carlos’ assistance before they bee lined back to the room Jill was slumbering restlessly in. Hearing her pained groans, Carlos moved to Jill grabbing the vaccine from Leon before he injected it into her arm watching as the purple liquid entered her arm. 

“Now we wait to see if it worked.” He said looking to the others who had similarly concerned expressions. Despite their obvious worry for Jill’s well-being Claire looked the worst off and he could tell by the expression on her face. Noticing the look of pure dedication in Claire’s eyes, he ran a hand through his shaggy hair trying to imagine what he would feel like in her position. Really shitty, is what he came up with before he moved to pat her on the shoulder. 

“You should get some rest Claire, there’s no telling how long it will take for it to get rid of everything in her system. We could be here for hours.” He said as he stepped towards the door. Watching his movements she appeared confused. 

“Where are you going?” 

“I’m going to the facility underneath to look for more vaccines and Sherry.” He answered by checking his clip before seeming satisfied. 

“Shouldn’t you wait for us?” She questioned receiving a shake of the head from the mercenary. 

“I’ll be fine, I was trained for this.” Carlos appeared confident but she could tell he was not exactly thrilled with going to an Umbrella lab filled with ungodly monsters. 

“I could go with you.” Leon offered but Carlos quickly shook his head.

“No, you both need to be here for when Tyrell shows up and besides...this hospital is not exactly zombie proof.” At this very moment a few zombies were walking towards the windows as they spoke. 

“Nothing we say is going to convince you otherwise huh?” Leon asked and Carlos nodded with a chuckle. 

“I appreciate the concern but I need to do this.” And with that Carlos left towards the labs that Nikolai had told them about. 

“He’s starting to grow on me a little bit.” Leon whispered out and Claire rolled her eyes playfully. 

Many hours later on the verge of the evening of the 30th, Tyrell arrived and his entrance startled Claire who had been resting in the uncomfortable chair from earlier. Sitting up she rubbed at her eyes glancing to see that Leon was sitting on another chair with his eyes trained to the door. 

“Uh…” Tyrell greeted, “Hi…” He started not expecting them as he set up his computer on the table next to Leon. His body was covered in sweat and blood but he appeared relatively uninjured. 

“You must be Carlos' partner, I am Leon and this is…”

“Astute observation and I know who you both are.” Tyrell grunted out typing quickly on his laptop after his interruption. 

“She’s still not awake yet?” He asked tilting his head to Jill who was looking more and more like her old self from where she lay. 

“She will wake up when she’s ready.” Claire said defensively causing Tyrell to shake his head slightly. 

“Well she better wake up soon because...shits about to go south real quick.”

“What do you-?” Leon and Claire both started before the TV above his head went off with a broadcast announcement. 

Eyes widening Claire gasped, “They can’t just…”

“Nuke the city? Well unless I can get a hold of someone important it’s happening tomorrow night.” Tyrell grunted with frustration. 

“There’s Umbrella joker card.” Leon sighed out with a frown. 

Tyrell eventually exited the room to continue his work when Jill screamed startling the other two in within the room. Standing quickly Claire set her hands on either side of Jill who looked to be freaking out. 

“I-I’m fine…” Jill gasped out once she saw Claire, breathing heavily as she moved to lean against the other woman. Claire quickly wrapped her arms around Jill tightly with an expression of joy since this was her first sigh of life in what had felt like an eternity. 

“How do you feel?” The redhead asked, cradling Jill's head which ended up leaning against Claire’s chest. Blushing slightly she shifted from Claire’s tight embrace to look up at her. 

“Claire…” She whispered out receiving a stare that was completely focused on her, she offered her a weak smile in response. 

“I feel like shit but I’m alive...” She eventually said and Claire laughed softly at that.

“That sounds about right.” She responded thoughtfully before she moved to kiss Jill on the lips. Jill reciprocated immediately as her grip on Claire’s back tightened. 

“I’m really glad you’re okay...you scared the hell out of me back there.” Claire breathed out hugging her when they moved from each other’s lips. 

“That makes two of us.” She heard Jill say from under her. 

Jill rubbed her hand down Claire’s tense back before she glanced at Leon. Who was smiling at them despite the terrible news they had just been given. Moving to touch Claire’s shoulders she moved her legs towards the floor and she shifted off the bed lifting her boots up with each foot to get the feeling back in them. 

“Where’s Carlos?” Jill questioned feeling Claire sit next to her and she offered her a smile because she understood why she was being exceptionally affectionate with her. She did almost die and she could imagine it had been very difficult waiting to see if she would wake up. 

“To find Sherry and retrieve more vaccines.” Claire answered moving to give Jill space to breath and stretch her aching limbs and muscles. Craning her neck and popping it Jill glanced to Leon. 

“There’s something else, what is it?” But her attention was then brought up to the TV which rang out the broadcast once again. Shock and terror overtook her expression and she frowned gripping her handgun at the declaration. 

“We need to find Carlos and Sherry before it's too late.” Jill said, looking to Leon and then back to Claire. 

“Agreed.” She said, “Who knows what trouble Carlos might have gotten himself into.” She remarked crossing her arms. 

“To be fair he-.” However, Leon was interrupted by a loud thud outside of the room. Walking to the door he opened it and he glanced around only to find no one around. Confused by the sudden emptiness he raised his gun motioning for the other two before he exited the room. He could see shadows of movement outside of the hospital windows but Tyrell had already secured them by shutting all of the hospital’s security measures. Looking to the left he paused upon seeing a streak of fresh blood leading towards the next room. Silently the three of them followed it and Jill and Leon stopped in front of the double doors. 

Glancing to each other they nodded before they slammed the doors open with their guns raised. Keeping up the rear Claire looked around the room behind them noticing that someone in particular was missing. 

“Where did the guy go?” She whispered following Jill and Leon who were investigating the strange sound and the blood trail. 

A scream sounded out and they burst into the next room to see a couple of zombies who looked to be eating someone. 

“Hey!” Jill called out catching their attention, with her flashlight on it illuminated their ashen features which had fresh blood dripping from their rotting lips. She exhaled the image reminding her of Chris and Brad. 

Leon fired first, knocking the first to the side since his shot had blown their head off and Jill fired next before she moved to knife it in the face. The blade entered through its eye socket and it slumped to the floor dead as a door nail. Pulling the knife out of its face the slick sound of muscle tearing could be heard. 

Moving to look down Jill took notice of the Umbrella logo on the side of his shoulder. His chest was torn open but the most glaring evidence was there was a bullet hole in his face which had created a cavity making him beyond recognition. 

“Tell me that isn’t…” Claire gasped out covering her mouth to keep from vomiting. 

“Jesus Christ.” Leon called out leaning to investigate Tyrell’s body. The zombies had done a number on what was left of his body. 

“God has nothing to do with this.” Jill replied with a stern expression lifting up his pager which had blinked open the bright green light lighting up the desk he was dead against. Squinting at the pager she frowned upon seeing a few simple words. 

“Is she dead yet?” Jill spoke aloud, her eyebrows knitting downward. 

“I thought he was contacting someone to stop them from dropping the bomb!” Leon called out in frustration receiving a shake of the head from both Jill and Claire. 

“It looks like he was on someone’s payroll. Never trust Umbrella.” She growled out gripping the pager so tightly she cracked it’s screen within her grip. 

“Well we can trust Carlos…” Claire offered up tapping Jill’s radio to get her attention. Nodding Jill threw the pager onto the desk before she lifted her radio. 

“I don’t know if he will hear us.” She warned, trying Carlos three times without getting a response. Shaking her head at the other two she reloaded her handgun, joy briefly flooding through her features when she lifted up a magnum and some ammo when she searched Tyrell’s dead body. Lifting it up the silver glinted against the dim light in the room and she noticed Claire smile upon seeing it. Jill had noticed the new G18 Claire must have acquired from Carlos so she was glad to find a new toy for herself as well. 

Stepping away she moved throughout the hospital with Claire and Leon in search of a way into the Umbrella facility. 

Sherry shivered from where she was laying crawling further to avoid the zombies she knew were nearing her, fear sending chills down the young girl’s spine she kept from crying out when a zombie spouted her. 

“No!” She could not help but cry out and she lifted her body up to stand before she ran down the hall wishing that Claire, Jill, and Leon were here. Afraid and alone Sherry slipped into a dark room only for there to be another zombie within. Covering her mouth with her hand to keep quiet her chest rose and fell as she inched behind something to hide. She hoped it couldn’t smell her as she hid and she tried to be as quiet as she could as it arched it’s ugly head seeming to sniff around like an animal. 

Shivering behind the dark container Sherry closed her eyes waiting and listening. She could hear it shuffle around her and groan but it did not seem to know she was there. Gulping slowly she chanced opening one eye only to be face to face with dead grey ones. Unable to keep from screaming Sherry pushed back against the wall behind her as it tried to wedge its arm between the tight space. Unable to fit it screamed at her in its attempt to attack her. Tears spilled from her face because of the fear and she kept moving whenever its fingers got too close. To her disgust one of the fingers had gotten squeezed and a finger fell off onto her furthering her terror. Throwing it off of her she tried to make herself as small as a ball to feel some sort of comfort in this terrifying moment. 

“Gotta be brave...gotta be brave.” Sherry cried out lifting her head to search around for something to protect herself with. Coming up emptying she inched into a corner when the zombie suddenly leaned down onto the ground trying to crawl under after her. Kicking her foot forward was a bad move because it grabbed at her leg and gripped it tightly. 

She cried in pain trying to get away but its grip was very strong. Feeling her small body being dragged towards it she cried clawing at the lab floor to create some friction. Trying anything to get away from the monster. 

“Hey! Pick on someone your own size.” A male’s voice yelled out and soon the zombie was dead it's grasping hand letting go of her leg and releasing her. Breathing heavily Sherry tried to ignore the blood all over her leg as she pushed her body back into the corner. Peaking once she caught her breath she noticed a figure of a man. Unsure of who it was she hugged her arms around herself in a protective stance. 

Hearing footsteps near she closed her eyes until the footsteps stopped, opening her bright blue eyes back open she watched him lean down a friendly smile upon his features. Noticing the dark shaggy hair she immediately knew it wasn’t Leon but she recognized him. 

“Hey kid, I’ve come to get you out of here.” Carlos said holding up his hand but slow enough to not startle her. Tentatively Sherry stuck her hand out her small hand touching his larger gloved one before he helped her out of the tight space. 

“T-Thank you.” Sherry managed to jump when the zombies arm flopped beside them. She moved towards Carlos who put a hand on her shoulder. 

“Come on, I am going to bring you back to the others.” 

“The others?” Sherry asked with a brighter expression on her face despite the traumatic event she had just suffered through. 

“Are Jill and Claire okay? D-Did you find Leon?” She asked in a soft murmur. 

Nodding slowly Carlos opened the door keeping his gun trained as he looked around each corner. 

“They’re all okay.” He answered upon finding the next hallway they entered empty. They were venturing towards where he had entered so to Sherry’s relief there was nothing but dead bodies in the next bright white room they entered. 

“I’m glad…” Sherry mumbled with a slight smile following closely to Carlos who was focused on their surroundings. 

“Me too kid, they’re good people.” He whispered, stopping when he heard a strange noise. Glancing around he tried to figure out where it was coming from, hearing stomps that were getting louder put Carlos on alert. 

“What the fuck…?” He whispered to himself as they neared the storage area but before they could enter it the ceiling above them broke up followed by Sherry’s screaming. 

“Oh no it’s Dad!” 

“What?” Carlos called out confusedly, his eyes widening upon seeing a large creature with a monstrous eyeball in what looked to be a tattered white lab coat. He fired at it but upon missing the eyeball Birkin kept running after them. 

“Sherry run!” Carlos hollered out putting his body in front of her and between him as he kept up his firing. Slowing Birkin’s descent Carlos ducked when he swiped his massive arm forward. Noticing zombies that were piling in Carlos sprayed suppressive fire as he continued to roll away from more of Birkin’s wide swings in his direction. 

Hearing Birkin roar Carlos wiped sweat from his face as he reloaded his rifle, soon firing into all of them in quick movements. 

“Come on now take a number, one at a time!” He shouted grunting when Birkin’s arm impacted him knocking him back into the wall. Groaning and becoming disoriented Carlos grabbed at his face looking to see blood on his hand when he looked down. 

Pulling out a frag he tossed it forward just as Birkin and four other zombies started to run after him lifting a hand to his face when it exploded the force of it knocking Birkin back into the rest of the zombies. Glancing down to the cracks Birkin made on the lab floor he breathed out heavily when Birkin stood back up looking as angry as ever. 

“Fuck.” Carlos grunted when Birkin ran forward the force of his run knocking Carlos into several rooms, the force of his punch breaking the wall around them as he did so. 

Pain shot through his chest and back simultaneously but he could only focus on Sherry who was standing to the side looking at him with worry and fear in his eyes. Thrashing his free arm he tried to get her to run again when Birkin’s clawed hand thrashed him across the chest. His vision blurred and Carlos yelled out in pain from the assault. 

“No Carlos!” Sherry called out as her father continued his monstrous attack on the man who had saved her. 

“Daddy no!” She cried next seeming to snap the monster out of some kind of trance. She looked on in terror when Birkin lifted up and looked at her with the part of his face that still looked like her father, who used to be her father. 

She could rage in the monster’s eyes and she gasped when for just a moment he almost looked like he recognized her, but perhaps that was just her hope when he suddenly roared lifting his deformed body upwards before he started to run in her direction.


	8. The Nest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill, Claire, and Leon go underground in search of Carlos and Sherry but they run across unexpected resistance along the way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, sorry it took so long to post this next chapter! To explain with one word: Finals. So it's a little choatic for me as far as scheduling but I was way too excited to wait so I worked on this so I could post this week. I hope you enjoy this and I appreciate any and all comments including those that point out the mistakes. XD

White fluorescent lights flickered above them as they walked through the underground. It would have felt clinical and pristine if it were not for the blood streaks throughout the halls and the clutter of chairs and debris. Red lights could be seen in certain areas that were nearly blacked out and it furthered the creepy atmosphere of the place. 

“It’s too quiet.” Jill heard Claire remark and she had to agree with her. There was an unsettling silence following them and she did not like it anymore than the sound of the dead’s shuffling. They had already encountered a few Umbrella personnel who had fallen victim to the T-Virus but they had silenced them with precision and swiftness. It helped that there were three of them all of whom were used to the signs of an incoming threat. 

Jill tucked a strand of loose brown hair from her sweating face which had long become covered with dirt and red streaks of cut skin. Her arms and neck were covered with cuts from various encounters and she knew some of them were never going to heal quite right, especially the ones she reopened over and over when she faced the monster at the Clock Tower. She closed her eyes for a moment when the image of it appeared in her mind and she shook away the icy chill it sent down her spine. She hoped that thing was dead for good. 

Hearing a thud Jill reacted quickly and she lifted up her handgun turning it with her eyes as she surveyed the next open area they entered. Glancing upward she paused with the others when she saw a dark shadowy figure standing above them.

“Is that…?” Claire questioned her grip tightening on her handgun upon realizing who it was. 

“You guessed correctly, It’s a shame it took you so long to arrive.” Nikolai’s voice chuckled out with his usual ominous threats. 

“What the hell does that mean?” Jill called out moving to pull a lever only for two things to appear behind her. She tensed when she felt a zombie grab at her leg and she sidestepped before she moved to stomp it’s head in. To her surprise this was not a regular zombie and she sucked in a breath at the foul smell it emitted. It was missing any clothes and its fleshy appearance was grotesque at best. 

Claire moved to shoot it in the head with her gun to no avail and she back pedaled when another appeared. 

“Hold on.” Leon said aiming his shotgun and shooting the one on the ground directly in the face. It worked to stop its movement for a few minutes before it went back to crawling after Jill. 

“For fuck’s sake.” Jill growled out pulling out her magnum before she shot it in the head splattering it’s brains onto the one beside it. She blinked when she fired again not missing when she killed the second one. 

Claire whistled from behind Jill and she gave her a half-grin before she turned her gaze back up to Nikolai. It creeped her out to know he was above them, watching them. 

“And I thought knocking him on his ass would keep him out of the way.” Claire sighed earning a raised brow from Jill and a laugh from Leon. 

Sheepishly Claire glanced at Jill while she reloaded her gun, “I might have shot him in the leg because I was a little angry.” 

“Hmm, I like that in a woman.” Jill commented causing Claire to blush intensely at the look Jill was giving her. Apparently even though they had made their feelings for each other clear just a tease from Jill would turn her into a blushing mess. Jill smiled at her with amusement present on her features but anything she was about to say was interrupted by the sound of Nikolai’s voice once again. 

“Now Claire you wouldn’t want to test my limits, would you? Isn’t there a little girl you have been looking for? Maybe I could help you out.” Claire’s redness on her face shifted with her anger and she frowned up at him. 

“You leave her out of this you bastard.” She threatened following after Jill and Leon as they stepped up on the platform. Watching as Jill pulled the lever they were slowly raised upward when something exploded nearby. 

“You’re the one who brought her into this.” She heard Nikolai say and she tensed at that, turning to glare at his shadowed form. 

“Umbrella is why we are here in this mess.” Jill countered pulling Claire by the arm so Nikolai could not get inside of her head. Claire’s glare lessened as she looked ahead to where Jill was dragging her. Leon followed behind them with a worried expression on his face. 

“For cops, you’re not very good at saving people.” His dark voice taunted and Leon clenched his eyes shut with his irritation. 

They continued on after Jill when Nikolai finally stopped his taunting and they killed methodically, but they could not help but be startled by the sudden appearance of dogs. 

“Claire!” Jill called out dodging one of the dogs in a roll as she shot at it repeatedly. Noticing the other K-9 that was headed for Jill, Claire lifted up her shotgun above Jill’s ducked head before she fired. The blast of the gun knocked the dog away and the majority of it’s dark fur revealed bloody and pink skin as it fell dead onto the floor.

Jill stood back up quickly blinking rapidly as she grabbed Claire’s shoulder as a way of thanking her. However, because the shotgun blast had been so close to her head, her ears were ringing loudly and she was unable to hear Leon’s warning. 

Having heard it Claire tugged Jill backwards into her just as a dog tumbled exactly where Jill had been. Thinking quickly Claire lifted up her handgun and she fired at it leaving it in a pool of its own blood after four shots. Breathing out she tucked the gun back into her holster. When she felt Jill tighten her grip on her side she looked up at her to lock gazes with the brunette. 

For just a moment Jill’s gaze softened and she leaned her head into Claire’s shoulder with her hair splaying across her exposed shoulder. She reveled in the warmth even if it was just for a few seconds before she let Jill go. 

“Come on, I think if we split up we can find the fuses to the lift faster.” Jill said, receiving nods from Leon and Claire. Despite not exactly wanting to split up the three of them did so to find the fuses they needed to get to Nikolai and hopefully the lab. 

Listening carefully to the sound of her footsteps, Claire gulped slightly as she squinted trying to see through the dimly lit area she was in before she spotted a red light. 

“Aha.” She whispered, removing a fuse from its place with a relieved smile. The relief for Claire was short when a large beast rose from the shadows and she yelled out in shock when it thrashed its large claws in her direction. It was a green reptile like she had seen within the hospital and she made quick steps backwards to try and get some distance from it. 

She fired several shots that impacted its large chest but the bullets seemed to barely faze it as it kept on coming after Claire. 

“Ahh!" She gasped out wincing in pain when it slashed her leg when it caught her against one of the walls. Ducking down she aimed up at it with her shotgun and she pulled the trigger working to propel it with the buckshot. She kept on firing two more times until it died in a writhe on the floor. 

Groaning, she touched her leg to see three rips in her jeans and cuts marks. Looking to her fingers she saw blood and she closed her eyes before she moved away from the creature and back to where she last saw Jill and Leon. She did not have time to worry about the sting of fire that was scathing across her right thigh because they were running out of time to find Carlos and Sherry. 

“Hey Leon, have fun?” Claire greeted him noticing he had fresh blood all over his R.P.D. chest plate. Glancing away from the darkness to his left, Leon nodded slowly with his blonde hair wiping into his face when he did so. 

“About as much as you can expect...uhh what got you?” He asked as his smile faded into a concerned frown. Looking at her leg Claire shrugged crossing her arms with her gun in one hand and the fuse in the other. 

“All that matters is that it is dead.” She replied, blowing a tuft of her red hair from her face. Her expression lit up from its darker one upon seeing Jill who looked mostly unfazed besides a new gash that was on her left arm. Her hurried expression shifted into concern upon noticing Claire’s leg. 

“Are you-?” But Jill was silenced by a kiss to the cheek. Claire opened her eyes after the kiss with a placating smile. 

“We’re all here, okay? Let’s go.” Claire urged receiving a look of frustration from Jill. 

“Please.” Claire went on grabbing her hand when she saw Jill glance to her bleeding leg again. Sighing Jill looked to Leon before she looked back to Claire. 

“When we get the time I am treating it.” Jill stated with stubbornness as they made their way towards the room Nikolai had been within. To their dismay he was now missing and Jill stopped in front of the monitors in front of her shifting through them for any useful information. 

Claire and Leon meanwhile searched for ammo after having used more on the zombies that had large and strange heads with freakishly long tendrils poking out of their faces. Claire felt creeped out even more by the prospect that the monsters could get even worse than usual. 

Lifting up some handgun ammo into her pouches, she took a small break next to a desk to gather herself and her equipment while she waited for Jill to finish reading whatever Nikolai had left behind. Claire looked around the room as her thoughts drifted.

“You and Jill huh?” Leon suddenly said startling Claire out of her reverie about her life before she came to Raccoon City. Looking to the blonde she raised a playful brow.

“Uh...yes?” She whispered out. 

“It’s nice to see people in love like that I mean...even in the circumstances we are in now.” Leon said with a pink blush to his cheeks. 

Claire’s heart thumped hard at the word love and she could not help but blush deeply in reply to his statement. Moving her gaze from the floor to Jill who’s features were painted by the white monitor screen she let out a shallow breath. 

“We’ve only known each other for a couple of days…” Claire chuckled out as she watched Jill and Leon from the corner of her eyes.

“Really? I would have guessed a lot longer than that.” Leon whispered out with a charming smile on his face. 

“I would have never been brave enough to ask her out...I mean she’s incredible.” Claire breathed trying to keep her voice to a whisper but it was difficult since they were the only ones in the room. 

“Before the outbreak? I bet you would have.” The blonde said nudging Claire gently causing the redhead to look at him again. 

“What are you some kind of love expert?” She joked, confusion settling in her chest when she saw a glimmer of sadness in his dark blue gaze, but that look left his eyes when he chuckled softly. 

“Hardly but the connection you both have is a real one. Don’t let her go...” Leon said seriously, setting his hand on Claire’s shoulder and she nodded in reply when their gazes locked. 

Suddenly a cough interrupted their moment and they both looked to Jill who had a green mixture in her palm. Her gaze looked between them as if she was studying them before she moved to apply the herb to Claire’s wounds. 

The redhead blushed upon seeing Jill move to her leg and she winced at feeling her fingers touch the sensitive areas of her skin. Appearing to understand the death glare he had received from Jill, Leon moved to give them space. 

“How can you not get tired of this?” Claire questioned wincing some more until Jill lifted her hand away for a moment to look up at her. 

“Tired of what?” Jill replied, continuing her spreading of the plant on the gashes left by the Hunter. 

“Of me being a liability to you.” Claire said immediately regretting it when she felt Jill grip her knee directly beneath where her injuries were located. Lifting to stand she was face to face with Jill who had an unhappy expression on her face. Unused to seeing it directed at her, Claire swallowed nervously but her mouth worked faster than her brain. 

“Admit it, I’ve screwed up so many times...and I could have gotten us killed.” Claire’s eyes drifted as the weight of her guilt surfaced. 

“You have risked your life to save me countless times Jill...and now there’s Sherry who I brought with us despite the risks! Sherry was probably safer in the Police Station until I came along.” She sighed as the words left her mouth having not realized how long she had kept them in until now. She kept her tears at bay when she felt Jill touch her shoulders, one of her gloved hands just above the wounds she had been given by the licker. 

“Is this about what Nikolai said?” Jill asked with a sigh that made Claire’s heart plummet. 

“No…” She whispered so only Jill could hear her speak. She paused when she felt Jill shift closer to her and heat encompassed her face and neck when Jill set her arms around her own shoulders. She pulled Claire into a hug with her hands to Claire’s back. She kept them face to face and Claire tried to look away when Jill tugged her into her so she had nowhere to escape. 

Tightening her hold around Jill’s neck, she tensed when Jill moved one of her hands from her back to her face so that her fingers brushed under her chin. Before she could say anything Jill met her lips to Claire’s and she gasped quietly at the intensity of the kiss while Jill’s thumb traced her cheek where she had a red cut resulting from one of their various battles throughout the city. A tongue traced her bottom lip and she reciprocated the heated kiss not even caring that Leon was in the room as the heat in her chest grew.

She let out a sigh as Jill led her in the kiss and she shivered when Jill's other hand traced up her back. The fabric of her black tank top rose slightly until Jill's hand stopped at her shoulder. 

Sooner than she wanted her to stop Jill moved her lips away, so Claire kissed her one last time on the lips savoring the feeling before she moved away. 

Her chest rising from the heated exchange she was taken in with Jill when she touched her face again. Her gaze was unwavering and she looked to Claire with her usual serious intensity. Seeing the care in Jill’s eyes spoke volumes and she rested her head on Jill’s shoulder as Jill spoke to her. 

“I know it’s not exactly the time or the place but I needed to do that…” Jill whispered, running a hand through her companion’s hair. 

“Claire…” Jill husked out causing the blushing redhead to move so she could look at her again. 

“There are times I wouldn’t have made it if you weren’t there. Yes I am well trained but without you...I would have died.” She whispered her eyebrows rising slightly with her emotion as Claire took in her words. 

“And you saved Sherry, Claire...you were the one who ran into danger fearlessly because someone needed your help. Never doubt that you didn’t do the right thing.” Jill asserted backed up by Leon who was now standing beside them. They both glanced to the man in the room who was giving them a supportive smile. 

“Jill’s right...you’re a badass.” Leon said, crossing his bandaged arms. 

Laughing slightly Claire shook her head, “Okay that’s enough pep talk...I appreciate it, both of you.” She said with a small smile grabbing and squeezing Jill’s hand to show her appreciation. 

“I wasn’t looking by the way…” Leon commented, earning a playful smack to the head from Claire who laughed at his disgruntled expression as he followed behind the two of them. 

They each adopted serious expressions as the matter of finding Sherry and Carlos came to the forefront of their minds. Looking at each other the three of them piled into the next room with their guns raised. Jill looked to the left and the right in quick succession as Leon and Claire turned to the opposite direction. 

“Nothing.” Leon whispered out, slowing his pace as they moved into the next area. A large door closed behind them and they each looked up towards it before they proceeded to move. 

Moving down the lab corridor Jill tensed upon seeing blood streaks and darkened areas unknown. As far as she was concerned finding Sherry within the facility was going to be difficult. 

“Any idea where he might have gone?” Jill questioned aloud tilting her head as she looked at the next corner with her handgun still raised in case of any sudden threat. She could see a few bodies littered throughout the next corridor and she carefully stepped over one when Leon nearly stumbled into it. Moving past it she ushered the other two past the bodies. 

Upon seeing more and more, Jill’s confusion grew as she took in the mess in front of her. Her eyes stopped on the floor when she saw several bits of the wall and a large black imprint. Following the trail of debris she paused upon seeing a large crater in the wall which led into other rooms with similar amounts of damage. 

“Holy shit!” Claire swore and she glanced at the redhead who ran into the room without warning. Huffing silently she looked to Leon before she followed after Claire to make sure she wasn’t heading into danger without being prepared. 

“Carlos?” Jill gasped aloud, her eyebrows raising when she saw the condition he was in. Alarmed she stepped closer looking to Claire who was already kneeling on the floor next to him with concern in her eyes. Blood was seeping from three large lacerations across Carlos' chest and the fabric of his uniform was torn and muddled around the injuries. He coughed upon hearing his name and to their relief he blinked his brown eyes open to look at each of them. 

“Hey team.” He greeted with a pained smile his eyes becoming distant which was likely due to the pain he was experiencing. 

“I have bandages, do any of us have first aid?” Leon questioned hurrying to search for the bandages he mentioned. Moving beside Claire, Leon removed his gear and he ripped apart Carlos' shirt to get better access to the area of injury. 

“Looks like Carlos has some.” Jill said simply moving swiftly to spray his wounds with the first aid which she found in his gear while Carlos grunted. 

“Ahh, that stings like a bitch…” He breathed out in a shaky laugh glancing to Claire who was offering him comfort by touching his shoulder. He gave her a stiff nod while Jill and Leon worked in tandem to keep him from bleeding out.

“Carlos, you’re going to be alright.” Claire assured in a soft tone moving a bit to allow Leon and Jill the space. 

“I’m not the one you s-should be worried about.” Carlos said his face scrunched up in pain until Jill stopped spraying his wounds when she finished the bottle. 

“Lift him up.” Leon said aloud and Jill moved to lift him up carefully so that Leon could wrap the binds around his wounds. 

“Getting the royal treatment, I’m touched.” Carlos said once Leon tied the last bandage and it covered a good portion of his exposed chest. Moving to rip the rest of his shirt which had the Umbrella logo, Carlos was about to grab his vest when Leon stopped him. 

“What gotta ogle me first?” The dark haired man teased out but Leon frowned in response and their gazes locked tensely until Leon lifted the vest up to the muscled man. 

“Not everything is a joke, you know...you could have died.” Leon commented tersely and Carlos sighed in response as Jill and Claire moved to stand. Carlos joined them after a moment, his hand falling to his chest since it still felt like his insides were on fire. Breathing out heavily Carlos lifted up his empty gun before he slipped the vest back on. 

“I know that…” Carlos admitted closing his eyes for a moment, “Thank you.” 

“You saved my ass, I figured I would return the favor.” Jill replied, earning a small smile from Carlos. 

“So what the hell attacked you and is it still around here somewhere?” Claire piped up, pulling her shotgun from her back as she eyed the damage. Subtly Jill stepped closer to Claire but Claire caught her from the corner of her eye. 

“Uh...it had a freakishly large eyeball and the man was huge…” Carlos started and Leon grunted appearing to know exactly who he was talking about. The others all glanced at Leon in response. 

“That thing attacked me while I was down in sewers...he’s a tough sonofabitch.” Leon said with a grimace. 

“You’re telling me.” Carlos snorted, setting his forearm against a wall to lean. 

“Is there no shortage of fucked up monsters in this place?” Claire said with a sigh, not liking the sound of the latest creature one bit. 

“No babe, there’s not.” Jill replied causing the redhead to look at her with a bright blush. Losing her focus on the monster she tried to calm the heat of her blush at hearing Jill call her that. She raised a brow upon seeing Jill smirk at her from where she was standing next to her. 

“Guys...something else happened you all need to know about.” Carlos said, bringing their attention to him. This caused both women to blush and they nodded collectively as they focused on his next words. 

Grunting slightly Carlos told them about Sherry and her reactions to Birkin. Frowning Claire’s grip on her gun tightened making her knuckles white. 

“You think he attacked her? We need to find her!” Claire said in a panic, her heart thumping against her chest with fear that Sherry had been killed by her own father. Noticing how out of sorts Claire was getting Jill rested her hand on her shoulder. 

“There’s still a chance she got away...we’ve seen her and she can be very elusive because of her size. Do not assume the worst Claire.” Jill said her voice firming while she squeezed her shoulder. 

“W-We have to find her Jill. Sherry’s been through enough hell already and we promised to protect her.” Claire said her eyebrows crinkling downward with shame and guilt. Seeing this in her clear blue eyes, Jill moved to rub her hand down Claire’s back to comfort her. It did not seem to help much because there were tears prickling at the corner of her eyes now. 

“We’ll find her.” Leon offered with a frown. 

“We have too.” Claire replied sniffing in her attempts to keep her tears at bay. Her eyes moved to Jill once she felt her grab her hand and squeeze it. 

“But what about you Carlos?” Jill questioned leveling her stare with the man standing across from her. 

“Like I said, Sherry is who you need to worry about. I will go find the v-vaccine.” Carlos said standing up straighter as he spoke. He moved to reload his rifle only to find he was out of ammo. 

“Shit.” He swore attaching it to his back with the rifle’s strap before he pulled out his U.B.C.S. commissioned handgun. 

“Hey we’ll split up...I’m joining you Carlos and I’ve got this puppy if he decides to come back for more.” Leon said with a slight smile as he motioned towards the grenade launcher on his back. 

“Sounds good, but do you know how to use it?” Jill questioned with a raised brow looking to Claire when she let go of her hand to spot around the hallway ahead. 

Scoffing at the barb, Leon gave Jill a short nod, “You just need to point and shoot right?” He asked, receiving a laugh from the brunette. 

“Just checking...it is your second day after all.” Jill teased patting Carlos' shoulder when she walked past him. 

“I have a feeling she’ll grow to like me.” Leon whispered to Carlos in which the dark haired man rolled his eyes playfully. 

“I haven’t known her long but I have a feeling she tolerates most people and likes a select few, like Claire for example.” Carlos whispered back, earning a snort from the blonde walking beside him. 

“Do you know how quiet it is in here?” A voice said, interrupting their banter. The both of them looked forward and Claire and Jill glanced back at the both of them. Claire appeared slightly amused while Jill looked slightly irritated. Leon and Carlos blushed a bit at having been caught whispering. 

“Come on Jill.” They heard Claire whisper and they watched as the redhead grabbed Jill by the arm directing her attention away from the men and back to where they were walking. 

“Be safe you two...I don’t like us splitting up anymore than you do but it will save us some time.” Carlos grunted looking to Leon who nodded. 

“Here Claire…” Leon suddenly said walking towards her and handing her a grenade which she took gladly.

“You sure know how to treat a girl...and alright just don’t get killed.” Claire said but a part of her felt it was a futile statement in the environment they found themselves in. Nevertheless she hoped her optimism would shine through. 

“I’ll try not too.” Carlos laughed looking to Jill before they left the two women in search of the vaccine. 

Jill traced the path they were walking down attempting to create a mental map so they would not double back through any rooms they did not want to go back within. She could sense the nervousness of her partner but she kept her eyes searching for any hints as to Sherry’s whereabouts. 

“Did you hear that?” Claire whispered out, stopping their walk with a raised hand as she listened to the rumble from somewhere distant in the lab. 

“That’s not good…” Jill replied looking above them as the rumbles continued. 

“That must be the-” Claire said only for her voice to raise to a shout when a figure suddenly appeared in front of them, his large eye moving rapidly as Birkin roared in anger. He was holding a large pipe that he had obviously ripped out from somewhere and she gasped as they dodged a large swing from the monster. 

Jill’s face lit up as she fired her gun at him rapidly keeping her attention trained on him so as to get his attention. He continued to thrash and roar as the bullets caused him to raise the pipe defensively. 

“The eye must be a weakness!” Claire yelled out aiming at the eye and shooting it which caused it to close. Jill would have responded but Birkin was on the move again, and so she ran back the way they came as did Claire who was moving in her direction since he was beginning to target her again. They kept up their sprint and they entered a random room firing at the undead who were standing in their path. 

“Shit.” Claire swore when her gun clicked empty. Shoving it into her holster she pulled out her shotgun while Birkin rammed into the door they had entered in trying to get to them. 

Letting out a quick breath Jill kicked a zombie to the side and she moved towards the next doorway with Claire. Hearing a yell she looked over when she saw a zombie grab at Claire and her shotgun. Aiming at them she frowned since she could not get a clear shot. 

“Get off!” Claire growled moving to kick the zombie in the knee before she arched the butt of the shotgun and smacked the zombie in the head knocking it to the ground effectively. Jill sighed in relief and she lowered her gun once Claire rejoined her.  
Claire aimed her shotgun around them as the surviving zombies attempted to circle them. Moving towards the door with their backs turned they nearly backed into a zombie that had stood up in the next hallway. Jill ducked and she slipped away from its grasp before she fired, hitting it in the chest with the third shot missing completely. 

Backing to the wall she tried to aim while Claire moved out of the line of fire. Jill managed to hit in the head the fourth shot and she sighed when it fell backward in a thud. It was still moving to her dismay but her attention was soon taken by the sound of metal breaking. 

“It won’t be long before he breaks through.” Claire shouted pointing to a door down at the end of the hallway. Jill glanced at Claire before she ran with her to the room the both of them barreling in despite having no idea what was on the other side. 

“Shit.” Jill swore realizing this room only had one entrance way. She searched around with her gun raised and she eventually lowered it when she realized nothing was inside of the room. 

“I thought it was a good plan.” Claire sighed wincing at hearing the thuds of Birkin hitting the next door repeatedly. 

Jill bit her lip in thought of what to do next when the sound of the door being broken open interrupted her thoughts. Assessing how small the room was she pulled out her magnum making certain it was loaded as she waited with Claire in several tense minutes. She looked to Claire in the corner of her eye to see she was tightening her grip on her shotgun. 

“Run like hell.” Jill said after a beat as Birkin’s loud footsteps neared the door and they both visibly tensed when he began to hammer at the door in front of them. 

“That’s our go to.” Claire chuckled out backing up slowly at seeing the fist sized dents the creature was creating as he hit the door with his large hand. Other dents made themselves evident and she could see that he was now thrashing the door with the makeshift pipe they saw him carrying around. 

A loud roar entered their ears and they both backed into the wall when he broke open the door with a few zombies standing behind him but Jill kept her focus on Birkin as he made thunderous steps in their direction. 

She pulled the trigger of her magnum within a second hitting in the eye and causing him to roar in pain. Firing again she shot at the eye when it reopened refraining from straying her gaze when the eye bleed a ugly red. It appeared to be like some sort of natural defense and the eye closed so she shot at his torso managing to knock the giant creature to the ground. Gunshots fired from beside her as Claire shot repeatedly at the crowd of zombies behind Birkin. 

“Come on supercop!” Claire shouted and they moved to the door almost panicking when she realized Birkin was still blocking their way out. 

“Ever learn gymnastics?” Jill suddenly asked and she propped down onto one leg and before Claire could question her she held her hands together with a calm blue gaze that helped to settle some of her fear. 

“No, but I’m flexible.” Claire joked before she backed up and she ran towards Jill. Using her hands she lifted up Claire despite the slight strain and Claire used the momentum to flip directly over Birkin’s injured form. 

“Jill, how are you-?” Claire started to ask as she stood away from some of the dead who were attempting to grasp at her legs. Glancing up Jill answered her question when she actually used Birkin’s head to get enough momentum to flip past his body. Stepping to the side she watched as Jill landed beside her and she stood without falling to the floor. 

“Let’s not wait around for it to get back up.” Jill breathed out and Claire nodded in agreement. 

Each of the women ran trying to ignore the roars Birkin made as they created more distance between them and the mutating monster. Sighing to their relief upon entering a new room which allowed them to catch their breath. 

“I don’t hear him anymore.” Claire whispered lifting up an herb plant when she spotted one and she took the time to reload her shotgun. 

“Where are we?” Jill questioned moving some of her hair from her sweaty face as she looked around the room they were in. They were high above the room which held various containers and large bright red lights were placed on each of them. The room was lit in some places and dark in others and when she glanced up she could see a brightly lit room which looked like a control room of some kind.. 

“It looks disgusting down there.” Claire commented leaning against the railing to get a better look. It was a big drop from where they were and a bad feeling suddenly settled in her stomach. 

“Jill…” Claire said the next words leaving her when she turned around. Looking over to Jill she tensed upon seeing a gun to her head and a familiar grin she hated. 

“Nikolai.” Claire growled out and her eyes flickered to the grip he had on Jill with his arm keeping her completely at his mercy. Jill had a slightly panicked expression on her face but it soon faded away as her panic shifted into anger. 

“Careful now, we know what happened to the last person who tested me...I am not here for anything but my money and you both could be worth millions.” Nikolai chuckled out and Claire continued to glare at him. 

“What are you talking about?” She asked looking at Jill who was trying to calm her down with her stare before she looked back to Nikolai who had a smirk growing at her question. 

“I’m here to make a deal but you will need to be cooperative or I will put a bullet in your girlfriend’s skull.” He went on testing her patience but she eventually nodded despite seeing Jill who was struggling in his grip. 

“Don’t listen to him.” Jill said but then he kicked her in the back of the knee which knocked her down. Keeping his loaded handgun to the back of Jill’s head he chuckled. 

“I want you to watch while I get my money’s worth out of Miss Valentine.” He said furthering her confusion. 

“If you make any sudden moves well..that would be most unfortunate for Jill.” Nikolai went on before he tugged Jill up from her kneeling position. Claire’s hand gripped into a fist as she helplessly watched him walk with Jill towards the railing. She knew that whatever he was planning was not going to be good. 

A roar sounded out that sent chills down her spine and she gasped when a large beast of red and brown appeared nearly knocking both Nikolai and Jill off the railing. To her dismay she saw Jill fall in a shout and she moved closer with fear as she watched Jill struggle with her grip on the broken end of the platform. 

“Jill!” Claire shouted, moving towards them only to be punched in the face by Nikolai. Blood seeped from her face but she went to stand when he disarmed her aiming her own shotgun at her face to keep her at bay. 

“Your emotions cloud your judgment.” Nikolai said with a shake of his head before he moved from Claire to Jill. He smiled down at her and Claire’s heart sank when he knocked her down to where the monster was. 

“Fight Nemesis and maybe I will spare Claire’s life.” Nikolai laughed out as Jill looked up from down below at him. 

“N-Nemesis.” Claire shuddered, lifting up to see the large mutated monstrosity as it leaped directly towards Jill.


	9. Sherry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I admit I had a little trouble naming the chapter and also side note because it is a little funny. My computer keeps trying to auto correct Birkin to Bikini so I hope it did not succeed in changing it to that. XD. 
> 
> A lot is happening in this chapter and there is still more to come! Thank you for your patience, I know it took a lot more time to get this written and posted. :)

“Turn around.” A smooth voice called out and she tensed as the grip on her handgun tightened considerably. 

“Drop it.” The voice said with demand and reluctantly the Doctor complied with the gun landing in a thud on the platform. As Annette turned a strand of her blonde bangs slid into her face and she appeared nonchalant as she stared over at the dark haired woman in red. She sized her up for a moment but the barrel of Ada’s gun brought her attention back up to Ada’s frowning expression. 

She slowly glanced to the other object in the other woman’s hand with a scathing frown at seeing a familiar blue glow within the vial.

“You got the vaccine.” Annette coughed out wiping some blood as it dripped past her pink lips. “What more do you want?” She spat out, yelling when Ada pushed her into the railing behind her. 

“You let Dr. Birkin escape.” Ada said with narrowed eyes as she glared at the blonde, “Where is the other vaccine?” 

Annette frowned at the dark haired woman, “I did not let him escape-” 

Sighing Ada adopted a sly smile, “I can see you’re not exactly in peak position. You help me, I will help you find Dr. Birkin.” 

Eyebrows knitting downward, Annette wiped the blood from her face as she gripped her injured stomach.

“You have a daughter, don’t you? Shouldn’t you be looking for her?” Ada taunted pressing the gun into Annette’s chest exactly where her heart would be.

“I’m not giving you a choice, tell me where.” 

Reluctantly Annette nodded and she gripped the railing behind her as she stood up straighter, “I can show you where the nearest vaccine can be found…” Annette said, pausing to cough into the sleeve of her dirty lab coat. 

“We have to go to the facility, underneath the Raccoon Hospital.” She continued glaring at Ada since the gun was now directly in her face. 

Noticing Annette’s paling expression, Ada lowered her pistol before she moved to kick away Annette’s handgun into the abyss below. Glancing down as the weapon fell Annette looked up to the mysterious woman who gestured for her to follow. She glared at the back of the other woman’s head as her eyes moved to the vial in Ada’s hand. They walked through the Umbrella facility they were currently within and Annette gripped the railing as they walked until she felt strong enough to walk faster. 

“Aren’t you worried about that boy who saved you from a bullet? Or are you as greedy a bitch I think you are?” Annette questioned and she watched as Ada turned her head to the side, her short dark hair shifting as she did so. 

A smirk grew on Ada’s face, “It takes a bitch to know one.” She heard Ada chuckle out before the smirk slipped from her face. 

“I’m certain he can take care of himself.” Ada eventually said as she turned her head away from Annette. She kept a quick walk towards the entrance of the lab with the begrudging doctor in tow. 

A zombie grabbed onto Leon’s shoulders and he grunted from the weight before he tossed the dead body off of him. He moved to wipe the fresh blood off his face as his blue eyes glanced to meet brown. Receiving a nod from Carlos, Leon opened up the next door with his handgun raised.

“What the hell?” Leon questioned aloud when he heard a roar noticing the room was trashed and one of the doors had been ripped open. He glanced up from the debris quickly and he pushed Carlos back when Birkin tumbled inside. 

Carlos lifted up his pistol as Birkin slashed his arm towards them violently. Leon tensed as Birkin roared and he blinked rapidly upon realizing something was very different about him. 

“That’s not good.” Carlos grunted upon noticing the mutation. Birkin appeared much larger and angrier than he remembered from his last encounter. 

“Time to end this.” Leon said, slipping his gun into his holster before he lifted up his grenade launcher and he fired hitting Birkin directly in the chest. Birkin was pushed backwards as a result and part of his body caught on fire. Arching back into a defense stance Birkin soon stood back to his tall height growling threateningly at the two men. His face appeared bloody and morphed while the large eye on his arm thrashed around in different directions. His arms soon followed and Leon and Carlos moved in circles dodging swipes from him when he neared them. 

“Shit.” Carlos gasped, slipping under a swing from Birkin while he shot at Birkin’s arm. 

“Keep moving he’s getting disorientated!” Leon shouted aiming to shoot him with the grenade launcher when a zombie managed to flank him. The zombie bit at his shoulder but only managed to sink it’s rotting teeth into Leon’s vest before he managed to wrestle it off. Soon an arm impacted Leon’s chest and he was thrown into a wall. 

“Leon!” Carlos called out ducking away from Birkin as he fired ahead of him at the zombie that had attacked Leon. Knocking the zombie back to the floor with a close contact shot he shrugged the body to the side until a punch to his back sent Carlos in the direction of Leon. He grunted in pain having nearly had the wind knocked out of him from the punch from Birkin’s forceful fist. 

Blood seeped from Leon’s arm but he ignored it as he looked to Carlos grabbing his hand when the dark haired man offered him one. Lifting up together they turned to fire at Birkin. Leon’s grenade launcher pushed the impending monster backwards and Carlos managed to hit Birkin in the eye causing him to thrash around violently from the sudden assault. Time seemed to slow as another grenade launched through the air and Carlos dropped an empty cartridge, reloading his handgun with a snap before he continued to fire. 

Watching Birkin’s body plummet to the floor, they suddenly stopped their assault. Seeing Birkin’s body rise and fall as it seemed to be taking deep breaths before getting back up, Leon moved to shove more grenades into the launcher. 

“We need a plan or we’re going to run out of everything.” Leon said, earning a nod from Carlos. 

“Well I wish I could say I had one pretty boy.” Carlos laughed fixing his stare when Birkin’s form slowly rose from the floor. They were in a tight room and Carlos could feel the sweat falling from his face as he tightened his grip on his gun. 

“Follow my lead then.” Leon replied, narrowing his eyes at Birkin. 

Aiming his gun Leon fired at Birkin rapidly and Carlos followed suit before he rolled a grenade over to Birkin who was flailing around due to the fire that was burning away at his muscles which caused him to roar loudly. A bang shook the room and Birkin fell to the ground and into the wall hard enough his body cracked the lab room’s wall. 

Carefully the two men kept their eyes trained on Birkin seeming pleased when Birkin stopped moving and thrashing in jerky movements. Each man looked at each other before they grinned breathing out in relief. 

“Is he dead?” A voice called out and they both jerked their gazes from each other to the door to the far left. Leon’s expression lit up and he jogged over to the door leaning down upon seeing who it was. 

“Sherry, are you alright?” He asked, setting his hands on her shoulders. Sherry nodded her head slowly but she did appear paler than before. Feeling the girl fall into him Leon’s expression shifted into a frown and he set his hands on Sherry’s back as he hugged her for a moment. Carlos appeared behind Leon with a worried stare. 

Blue eyes glanced up to meet him and he offered a small smile. 

“I’m glad you’re okay.” Sherry whispered out her expression pained and her face visibly sweating. 

“Thanks kid.” Carlos said moving to usher the both of them out of the room. Doing so Leon’s hand came in contact with Sherry’s forehead and his concern deepened upon feeling how hot she felt. 

“Did he hurt you?” Leon asked biting the bullet as they moved into the hallway each of them checking for any threats as they did so. 

“My face hurts but otherwise I’m okay.” Sherry answered and Leon and Carlos shared a glance before he set his hand on Sherry’s shoulder. He looked to her face and noticed a strange redness seeming to grow across her face and his heart plummeted to his stomach. 

“I’m really tired, c-could one of you carry me?” Sherry asked, timidly glancing away from them upon seeing the looks they were giving her. She appeared afraid and confused, realizing this Leon moved to lift her up into his arms bridal style. Setting her arms around his neck Sherry moved her head to his shoulder like she did when Claire first carried her. 

“Don’t worry Sherry, as soon as we find Claire and Jill we’re getting you out of here.” Leon whispered out sliding his shotgun to Carlos who kept it aimed as they walked towards where they believed the laboratory was located. 

“Promise?” Sherry coughed out and Leon tensed. 

“I will try my best.” Leon replied with a small smile following into the room with Carlos after he knifed a zombie in the neck and tossed it outside of the room. Side-stepping another kill made by Carlos, Leon could see there were lab tables and a strange device at the far end of the room. He proceeded to set Sherry onto the table and his eyebrows knitted downward when the growth he noticed earlier had grown substantially. The redness covered her eye and it was growing in all directions across her face. He heard Sherry groan in pain as she turned to lay in a more comfortable position. 

“Carlos-” Leon started watching as Carlos looked around at the machine in front of him pulling out a red device before he turned to look at Leon. 

“We have to help her.” Leon said in a whisper and Carlos glanced at Sherry in response. Running a hand through his hair Carlos sighed with irritation. 

“This isn’t going to be the right vaccine, is it?” He questioned as Leon searched around the room. 

“I don’t know, let’s find what we can to make a vaccine. It’s worth a try.”

“What if we’re too late?” Carlos asked in a whisper receiving a leveled stare from Leon once he heard him. He set his gloved hand on Carlos’ shoulder feeling the warmth of Carlos' shoulder as he relaxed his muscles. 

“Look, our jobs are to save people and that is what we’re going to do.” Leon stated firmly and Carlos brushed his hand off his shoulder.

“Alright, hero. We’re going to do this for Sherry.” The man said, looking to Sherry who was shivering on the lab table. She was clinging to Claire’s red jacket underneath her somehow having managed to keep it with her. From where he was standing he could see the frayed rips in the leather before he looked away to focus. Eyebrows knitting downward he continued to search for what they needed. His eyes roamed a piece of paper before he tapped Leon on the shoulder. 

“Of course, what we need is in a different room.” Carlos lamented and Leon frowned upon reading the paper. 

“I’m going, you stay here with Sherry-also I am keeping this.” He said with a grin hefting up Leon’s shotgun.

“Just bring it back, it’s dear to me.” Leon said, receiving an eye roll from Carlos as he left the room. 

Leon sighed softly before he moved to lean against the wall looking out of the glass of the room when he heard Sherry groan again. Stepping closer to the table he looked down to Sherry to see she was shivering. Reaching down Leon laid some of the red jacket over her. 

“A-Am I going to die?” He heard a small voice ask and he tensed as his gaze stopped on Sherry’s open eyes. Firming his resolve he set his hand on Sherry’s head with a shake of his head.

“No, Sherry. We won’t let that happen to you.” He replied, setting his free hand on his neck.

“Okay, I trust you-” Sherry replied coughing again, when she was suddenly hit with a wave of tiredness she closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting because of her obvious distress. 

“Just get some rest now.” Leon whispered out, turning suddenly to look over at the door. Knowing he had to have been imaging the thud he lifted up his gun out of his holster and he moved to where he could watch the door as his breaths slowed in his attempts to calm his racing heart. 

A groan sounded out and Carlos sighed when a body rose from behind him. Tucking the antigen into his chest pouch, he swung around aiming up his shotgun only for the corpse to be closer than he had originally suspected. Growling and hissing the corpse managed to grab at his shoulders it’s teeth clacking as it tried to take bits out of his face. 

Carlos shouted out kicking the zombie in the knee before he stuck the shotgun under its jaw and he fired, splattering the zombies face and head all over the walls. Carlos proceeded to back up afterward turning away when a piece of flesh fell from the ceiling. Choosing not to think further on it Carlos left the room in a hurry but he paused when he saw a figure down the hall. 

Shifting over to the wall he peeked his head out carefully, confusion arriving on his features when he saw two figures. Listening to their footsteps he appeared from the corner with his shotgun raised but his finger moved from the trigger when he saw their faces. Being met with a gun in his direction Carlos frowned and he stepped closer. 

“Who are you?” Carlos questioned out glancing between the two women and squinting distrustfully when he saw the blonde was wearing a lab coat. 

“FBI.” Ada replied with an arched brow as she looked Carlos over, she moved to flash him a badge quickly and she glanced at Annette with irritation when she laughed. 

“Likely story, I know Umbrella when I see them. After all, I work for them.” Carlos went on to say spitting out the name Umbrella with his disgust. 

“Smarter than you look and yet just as ignorant as the rest.” Annette commented, crossing her arms. Anything else the three of them were going to say was interrupted by a familiar roar causing Carlos and the two women to look just in time to see the wall be broken as Birkin stormed into the hallway. 

“William!” Annette called out in horror stepping behind Carlos and Ada as she looked at the monstrosity in front of them. He had further mutated and he was nearly too large for the hallway they were in. 

“There’s my end of the bargain.” Ada said lifting up her gun with Carlos. 

“How nice of him to show his ugly face again.” Carlos groaned out firing at Birkin as he stormed over to them with furious intent. 

Sensing their immediate defeat Ada backed up with Annette grabbing her arm forcefully as she stared with her mouth agape at her dead husband. Carlos continued to fire his shotgun at Birkin’s eye but he was too close. Ducking in time Carlos rolled away landing hard on his back. Looking around he frowned upon no longer seeing the two women but his attention shifted back on Birkin who was stomping after him once again. 

“If you want to make it out alive. Run.” A voice called out and Carlos lifted up into a stand as Ada aimed a large yellow gun at Birkin shooting him. When the electrodes hit Birkin in the chest and the arm Birkin flailed around in pain as Ada turned up the gun trying to keep him stunned long enough for them to escape. 

“Good plan.” Carlos gasped out wincing when he touched his leg. Blood was seeping from the laceration but he moved to the next hallway. He passed by Annette along the way who stopped him before he could continue walking. 

“I don’t know who you are, but this woman is not to be trusted.” She said shifting away when Carlos glared at her. 

“What are you doing here?” He asked and Annette frowned in reply. 

“The G-Virus cannot leave this place. I’m here to finish what I began.” 

“G-Virus? Is that what he infected her with…” Carlos paused because of his slip up tensing when Annette’s gaze locked on him.  
“Infected who?” She asked him, keeping him from leaving when she grabbed his arm. 

“A little girl but I don’t know why that matters to you.” He growled out listening when he heard someone running towards them. Seeing Ada he ducked into a room shoving Annette into the room in a hurry as Ada slipped inside. 

Looking over the woman in red, Carlos raised a brow when she looked over to him. 

“Thanks for the save.” He said with a smile receiving a blank stare from Ada. He watched her stare fall to the antigen which unknowingly was poking out of his pocket. 

“I won’t make it a habit.” She went on to say swiftly kicking him in the chest and catching him by surprise. 

Impacting the ground Carlos winced in pain before he dodged a swipe from Ada by rolling to the left. Lifting up his arms he blocked punches from the woman before he managed to stand back up. When a kick hit him in his injured leg he winced in pain, ducking Carlos stopped one of Ada’s arms by grabbing her wrist but she slipped out of his grasp with ease as she swiped after him with quick precision. 

“What happened to being friends?” Carlos asked his head turning to the left when Ada’s fist met his right cheek. 

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t be cooperative.” Ada said, jumping away when Carlos arched back to punch her with force. Hitting the air he continued forward trying to ram into Ada only for the sleek woman to slip away before he could blink. Wiping blood from his face he held up his fists while Ada copied his motion with a confident smile on her face. 

Before either of them could move the vaccine rolled to the floor catching Ada’s attention long enough for Carlos to gain an inch. Ramming into the woman in red he knocked her to the ground and she gasped when he raised his arm about to knock her out with one swift punch. Dodging his fist she went to reach for the blue vial when Annette picked it up whisking away from her grasp. She glared up at Annette who dropped it into her pocket before she escaped from the room with haste. 

“She escaped with the vaccine!” Ada said as Carlos breathed heavily, his hand still gripped in a fist as he looked down into her dark eyes. 

“Why should I trust you?” Carlos grunted out lifting her up by the arm while she raised up her arms in surrender.

“I thought you were Umbrella…” Ada breathed out.

“I was.” He replied letting go of Ada’s arm as he moved to lift up his handgun. 

“I need to get the vaccines to the government.” Ada went on her expression one of pleading when she looked to Carlos. 

“If you’re who you say you are, then let’s agree to stop Umbrella and settle our differences later.” Carlos offered lifting up his gloved hand while Ada chuckled. 

“You remind me of someone. Just not as cute.” She said, rejecting the handshake as she walked to the door. Seeming slightly affronted Carlos felt his face heat up. 

“Do you always greet people this way?” He asked, rubbing at his jaw. 

“Just consider yourself lucky-”

“Carlos.” He replied, answering her unspoken question. 

“I’m Ada.” She whispered back searching around the corner, her eyes falling to the floor where she had last seen Birkin. He was missing and Carlos appeared to notice as well. 

“Damn.” Carlos swore when Ada stopped to look at him. 

“Where were you taking this?” She questioned motioning to the antigen. 

Glancing at it he tucked it further down into the pouch to secure it before he answered with a laugh, “Just because we’re on a first name basis now doesn’t mean I’m going to tell you anything.” 

“Fine, watch yourself. Dr. Birkin may continue to mutate.” Ada said with a frown, lifting up her gun as she walked away without another word. Raising a brow he watched her retreating figure before he continued to move in the direction he came from trying to ignore his limp as he kept aware in case Birkin returned. 

“Mutating monster, fucking great.” He scoffed aloud to himself unaware of the ensuing battle that was occurring nearby. 

She rolled away grabbing at her shoulder as Nemesis jumped over her head. Jill gasped and she shot at the nearest zombie making sure it was down on the ground before she glanced backwards only to see the large abomination was gone. 

“Jill, behind number 4!” Claire yelled out from above and she lifted up her handgun firing rapidly at the red lights as it sparked and blew Nemesis out from behind the container. She heard him roar and she tried to ignore the urge to look up at Claire to see if Nikolai was still hurting her. Last attempt she had made to glance up Nemesis nearly ripped her in half. Focusing back on her mission she fired repeatedly at Nemesis until he fell to the ground in a rumbling thud. Watching as his ugly heart exposed itself she ran closer to him aiming her magnum before she pulled the trigger twice. The third round she had been prepared to shoot at his heart was blocked by a zombie that had stepped in the way in that exact moment. However, Jill ignored it since the shot managed to rip apart the zombie’s face splattering it’s rotting brain all over the ground in front of the monster. 

Before she knew it Nemesis reared his ugly head once again and Jill backed away quickly shoving away zombies that had appeared behind her as he attempted to swipe at her with his gigantic claws. She fired her magnum once at his face before she switched to her handgun. Jill gasped when he got particularly close and she flipped backward using the momentum to gather some distance before she moved into a full sprint as he Nemesis thundered after her. Despite the fear and adrenaline that was pumping away at her heart and veins she found only one thought was pervading her mind and that was that she could not fail Claire. Hearing a shout of pain created a brief distraction and Jill soon regretted looking up when Nemesis attacked her, shoving her to the ground and nearly making a meal out of her with his large, sharp white teeth. 

Jill groaned in pain from the forceful impact of her back into the concrete under her but she forced herself to focus on Nemesis who was closing in on her position. 

“Fuck you.” She growled out pulling out her magnum and shooting him in the head which knocked him backwards. He roared once again but he seemed to be far from dead and before she knew it he was back to running towards the containers. She took a deep breath glaring up at Nikolai with hatred once she saw he had a hand to Claire’s neck seeming to enjoy forcing her to watch the fight. Shifting up Jill reloaded her magnum, her eyes shutting in brief despair since she was quickly running out of rounds. 

“N-Number 2!” Claire stuttered out her throat burning since Nikolai’s grip on her throat tightened each time she spoke. She could feel his fingers dig into her neck scratching it in the process but she ignored the pain. Claire kept her focus on Jill while she tried to keep from imagining Jill being ripped apart by Nemesis. Tears leaked from the corner of her eyes but she kept her eyes trained on the second container, some relief flowing through her when Jill shot at the red lights sparking Nemesis with electricity as she did so. 

Jill fired her handgun when Nemesis returned to the ground level and she grimaced when her gun clicked. Stuffing it into her holster she quickly calculated the rounds she had left as she ran towards Nemesis sliding under a particularly gnarly swipe that managed to gut a zombie instead of Jill. Keeping her breathing as low as she could in this intense moment, Jill pushed herself to run again as Nemesis returned to barreling after her full speed. Time seemed to slow when a gunshot fired and she nearly tripped in her run. Unsure of what happened she avoided looking up while she dodged Nemesis again still feeling the burn of her chest from his first successful attack. Blood was seeping down her torso but Jill continued to fight shooting him whenever she felt she had enough distance. Finally after one more successful shot, Nemesis fell back to the ground on top of one of the zombies that had managed to crawl in. 

A voice interrupted her train of thought and blue eyes glanced up with terror at the sight. 

“Big mistake.” Nikolai growled out moving to punch Claire in the face when she dodged. She ran towards him after and he lifted up her shotgun in defense. Grasping onto the weapon they struggled and his finger pulled the trigger, the shotgun firing above their heads into the ceiling. Claire groaned in pain the sound so loud she could no longer hear Nemesis and Jill. Nikolai seemed similarly affected but he recovered quickly moving to kick Claire in leg before he swiped her into a fall with his left arm. The redhead groaned in pain when her back impacted the metal platform not liking the loud creak it made when she landed. The platform seemed to be weakening but Nikolai did not seem concerned as he aimed the shotgun down at Claire. 

“You’re worth nothing to me.” Nikolai growled out about to pull the trigger when he was shot in the shoulder. He gasped out in pain and he looked down at his shoulder in shock. His eyes shifted down to Claire whose pistol was still smoking after the release of the bullet. She glared up at him with her handgun trained on his face. Moving to grab at his shoulder he grimaced but he kept the gun trained towards Claire’s face. 

“The next shot will be a vital area.” Claire threatened her hands visibly trembling as she looked up at the Russian. 

“Drop the shotgun down to Jill.” She bit out shifting from the platform to stand. Nikolai could only chuckle at Claire with a shake of his head. 

A shout of agony interrupted Claire and Nikolai and they both glanced down in shock to see Nemesis who fell in a great thud while blood pooled from his massive body. Seeming merely disappointed Nikolai sighed before he tossed the shotgun down below and he left in a hurry before Claire could blink. 

“That was anticlimactic.” Claire commented, turning in a spin to look down when the platform finally gave. Claire screamed in surprise, her handgun falling from her grasp as she stopped herself on the lower hanging platform. She struggled in the same position Jill did earlier feeling her fingers tighten since she was losing her grip on the metal. 

“Drop down, I’ve got you.” She heard Jill say and it lessened some of the panic she was feeling. 

“Are you sure?” Claire called out in a yell, her blue eyes widening when she lost her grip completely on her left hand. She felt her body swing back into the platform and she winced at the forceful impact of the right side of her body. Her wrist strained and pain shot up her arm but soon she looked down despite her best judgement. Looking down her gaze was met with Jill who was directly under her with her arms held upward in a catching position. Letting out a deep breath Claire kept her stare with Jill before she let go the cool air of the fall touching her skin until she impacted something warm and strong. She heard Jill grunt from the impact but she was soon held up by Jill. 

Quickly Jill adjusted her hold on Claire into a more comfortable position. 

“You caught me.” Claire said aloud in shock receiving a slightly strained smile until Jill smiled genuinely at her. 

“Of course I did.” Jill rasped out slowly helping Claire to stand with her hands remaining on her back and waist as Claire’s boots touched the ground. She felt Claire’s hands rest onto her shoulder and they looked to one another in their close proximity seeming to be making sure the other was actually okay. She heard Claire gasp and Jill tightened her hold on Claire. 

“You’re bleeding.” Claire whispered in concern lifting up her hand to see blood after she touched Jill’s stomach. 

“It looks worse than it is.” Jill said, seeming relieved when Claire allowed her to hug her. She kept her grip on Claire firm as she touched Claire’s back and side. Fingers moved through the back of her short brown hair and she allowed herself a moment to breathe since the adrenaline was pumping her heart to what felt like its maximum amount of beats. Shifting away to look at Claire she moved one of her hands to touch her face. She frowned because Claire's lip was bleeding and her temple was already swelling into a purple tint. 

“I’m so glad you’re alive.” Claire whimpered out with fresh tears spilling down her bruised face. Jill felt her own eyes water but she pushed them away so she could focus on Claire’s beautiful face. She trailed her thumb across Claire’s bottom lip before she kissed her on the lips adjusting when Claire hissed in pain. Jill’s soft lips touched the corner of her mouth before she kissed the tears away but soon Claire could feel Jill kissing any skin she could find that was unharmed and wouldn’t hurt her if she touched it. 

“You’re so beautiful.” Jill whispered intensely, “It’s okay Claire. We’re okay.” She said next, stroking Claire’s cheek since she was still crying. Calming down slowly, Claire kissed Jill on the lips again enjoying the pleasant warmth and firmness of Jill’s touch while Jill set her hand on the back of Claire’s neck pausing when she saw the marks on her neck. She grew angry at the thought of Nikolai hurting her which transmitted to their kiss when their lips met aggressively. Jill could taste a bitter metallic taste because of Claire’s blood but she chose to ignore it as she focused on Claire's lips. Stopping the next kiss, Claire opened up her eyes again to stare at Jill. Claire kept the look in Jill's eyes as a mental picture as she took in the volumes of emotions she could sense from her. 

Jill’s blue stare melted away her fears and her heart beat for another reason because she’s never seen someone look at her like that. Jill’s hand moved into her own hands and she tightened her grip, never feeling more safe than she did in Jill’s hold. Claire felt tempted to express the emotion of lightness and heaviness as well as the bubbles of thrill and intense fear she felt but she struggled to find the words.

“We have to find an herb or something-” Claire said suddenly her worry popping back into her mind, seeming to override the accumulation of feelings that seemed so jumbled in her chest. 

“Let’s get out of here and we’ll do something about it.” Jill replied with a sigh wrapping an arm around Claire’s shoulder, ignoring the urge to look at Nemesis dead body hoping this was the last time they would see it again. She picked up Claire’s handgun with a grunt and Claire leaned down to pick up her shotgun as well. Setting it onto her back she paused when Jill stuck her handgun into her left holster hyper aware of the brush of Jill’s fingers on her side. The seemingly intimate gesture would have caught her off guard but she found it did not since it was Jill, someone she’s grown to trust with her life. 

“You kicked some ass Jill.” Claire commented smiling when Jill laughed aloud. Her laugh echoed within the area and they nearly jumped when a door revealed itself. They entered inside with haste the both of them looking behind them when the plant was suddenly filled with a green liquid. Noticing what it was doing to Nemesis, the both of them hurried out of there. 

“Claire…” Jill suddenly said and Claire turned to look at the brunette. It was too dark for her to see the expression on Jill’s face until they moved into a more lit part of the lab, the both of them stopping next to the glass as Jill slid to the floor grabbing at her stomach as she did. Noticing this Claire felt her heart leap in panic and she searched through her own pouches only to come up empty. Darting her head around she stood up to search around when a hand stopped her wrist. She stopped and looked down to Jill who lifted up a first aid spray. 

“You shouldn’t put me in a panic like that.” Claire chastised and Jill chuckled softly when she moved to lift up Jill’s tank. Upon doing so it revealed her stomach which was marred with purple and red from the scratches she had been inflicted. 

“I-I don’t mean to worry you.” Jill hissed when Claire sprayed her stomach, her face scrunching in sympathy as she continued. Groaning in relief when Claire finished the bottle on her wounds she set her head against the glass wall while she recovered from her fight. Claire joined her and she sat next to her so their arms brushed. 

Sighing and trying to ignore the various places she hurt, Jill relaxed when Claire rested her head on her shoulder during their brief respite.

“We have to get moving soon.” Jill said aloud after a moment blinking her eyes open when she nearly dozed off feeling as if she’s been operating 110% since Raccoon City’s outbreak started. Despite the urge to get back to action in their search for Sherry and their effort to escape the city, she took the time to enjoy the feeling of Claire next to her and especially the feeling of Claire’s hand as she stroked Jill’s arm and wrist. Suddenly Claire wrapped an arm around Jill and she hugged her from behind. Briefly Jill tensed before she relaxed again in Claire’s hold. She could feel Claire’s warm breath on her neck which worked to soothe her for just that moment. 

“Just a few more seconds of this…” Claire whispered out kissing Jill’s shoulder when Jill moved to touch the arm that was wrapped around her. 

“I didn’t peg you as the clingy type.” Jill teased the sound of Claire’s laugh sending a jolt of joy down her spine. 

“I’m only clingy when the woman I really care about is hurt.” Jill’s lips formed a smile at Claire’s choice of words. 

“Really care about?” Jill questioned aloud a subtle nervousness filtering in when Claire became unusually quiet. 

“O-Obviously Jill, you’re the cop. It doesn’t take the skills of Sherlock Holmes to know how I feel about you.” Claire went on to say with a bit of sass to her tone. Jill chuckled and bit her lip in response. 

“I’m not trying to rush anything. Let’s get out of here and figure out everything else later.” Jill said moving from Claire’s arm to stand. She shifted to look at Claire who was blushing before she helped her up. 

“Do I look as bad as I feel?” Claire questioned as they walked to the next door. Jill reloaded her guns piling the limited amount of bullets she had left into her handgun and magnum before she stopped to look at Claire. 

“You always look good to me.” Jill offered with a shrug missing the red on Claire’s cheeks since she looked back to the next door. She opened it with force and both women paused upon seeing a large gun near the end of the expansive room. 

“Hey!” Claire called out when she saw a woman above them on the upper floor however she did not spare them a glance before she ran to the next door in front of her. Appearing confused Jill’s gaze moved away from the mysterious woman in red to the floor when a strange liquid appeared. Stepping away from it her gaze narrowed in on the sight before her with terror rising in her heart. 

“Goddammit.” Claire swore out a backing away with Jill when they saw the new mutated Nemesis who was gigantic in size, his roar sounding what she imagined the devil must sound like. Jill tensed and she glanced back to the large gun behind them all the while motioning for Claire to back up with her. 

Feeling rage and hatred swelling in her breast, Jill lifted up the gun glad it was charged as she hefted it up. 

“I’m getting tired of your shit, this is the last-fucking-time.” Jill yelled out shooting the gun directly towards Nemesis, the bright light shooting out and impacting Nemesis in the side of the face.


	10. No Time to Die

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jill, Claire, Leon, and Carlos fight for their lives within the NEST facility. Jill and Claire also encounter Ada Wong and Annette Birkin for the first time and last time as they race the clock to save Sherry and make it out of the city alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to give a warning that there are character deaths (Not the main characters)-so please heed the warning. If death is a difficult thing for you to read I want you to know ahead of time. Also for those who know the game, I am following it in this regard so don't worry too much please. :) You'll get it if you read this lol (I promise to add the appropriate tags too since this has been written.)
> 
> This is it everyone and unexpectedly this last chapter almost hit 9000 words! Initially I had debated about splitting this into two chapters but overall I felt this was the way to end the long ride. I do apologize as I have yet to thoroughly edit my story so if there are mistakes I missed I hope they are not a distraction. I will try in due time to edit this entire work from beginning to end. For now, I really hope you enjoyed this. :) Thank you to everyone, all of you who have commented, given kudos, and lastly for all of you who have given my fic a read. It was honestly really hard to end the story because this has been a lot of fun to write. Much love to everyone and please stay safe!

Thunderous movements shook the room they were in as Nemesis’s grotesque body movements swung around in his attempts to kill Jill and Claire. It was massive and the mutation covered the majority of the wall in front of them, courtesy of a mutation begun by Nemesis’ apparent death and his sweet embrace with chemicals from the treatment center Jill had previously fought him within. Just when she had believed he was finally dead and gone, and no longer a nuisance to her attempts at survival Nemesis returned once again in his creation to eliminate his greatest foe, S.T.A.R.S. member Jill Valentine. 

A series of gunfire from a handgun erupted in the air as Claire and Jill continued to shoot at large orange mounds in his form when Claire would eventually use all of the clip of her gun. The sweating redhead gasped as she rolled away from a particularly aggressive swipe as if Nemesis were a human trying to squash an annoying ant. Just as Claire rolled from yet another swing of his gigantic claw, Jill fired into him with her magnum and relief flowed through her when she heard Nemesis roar in pain. 

“Jill the gun-.” Claire's sentence was cut short when Jill lifted up the large rail gun with ease as if it did not look like something that probably weighed 100 pounds or more and Claire watched as Jill prepared to fire it. Shuffling away from Nemesis since she knew what was about to happen Claire could only gawk in awe when Jill pulled the trigger and the bright blue light charged through the massive gun and it fired, hitting Nemesis in another devastating blow. It had taken a long time to recharge that gun but it was worth it, especially to Claire who knew she would not be able to get the image of Jill hefting that huge gun up in the air and firing it like some badass out of a movie. 

Electricity sparked around Jill’s form and Jill’s frowning face was covered with sweat but she took the time to glance over to Claire to make certain she was alright. When she saw the dazed look in Claire’s eyes which could only be described as a mixture of gobsmacked and lovestruck, Jill allowed herself a moment to smirk. 

However, her attention was taken back by Nemesis who’s disgusting and bloody red head fell to the lab floor in front of her. Knowing what she would have to do next, Jill waited for the gun to recharge as she stepped forward still carrying the gun like it wasn’t heavy, metal, and longer than she probably was in height. Claire’s jaw fell open and she was unable to keep her gaze away when Jill moved to ram the rail gun into Nemesis’ large face, and her eyes widened at the sight of Jill’s arm trembling as the energy started to build in the gun. 

“Yeah! Suck it!” Claire yelled out raising her fist in the air and Jill yelled out when she pulled the trigger and fired it into his jaw. The loud eruption from the close contact explosion knocked Jill backwards and she dropped the gun after she destroyed Nemesis' entire head. She quickly closed her mouth when blood rained from above coating her entire figure and face with the crimson red, almost like it was confetti for a job well done. Too tired to think about the fact she had killed it just like that, Jill stared up at the white lab ceiling in shock. 

“Jill, holy shit.” She heard Claire say in alarm and she turned her head slowly to see Claire leaning down next to her. Claire was covered from head to toe in blood as well but she still managed to smile at her. 

Sitting up Jill did not reply for a few seconds and she moved to wipe the blood from her face as she tried to think of what to say. She glanced over when she felt Claire grab her shoulders and she raised a brow when Claire revealed her bright white teeth. 

“That was horrifying and pretty fucking incredible at the same time.” She said and Jill offered a small chuckle in response. 

“We’re getting a little too used to seeing things like this.” Jill remarked leaning her head into Claire’s shoulder before she stood with the help of Claire’s gloved hand. She breathed out slowly and she turned when Claire ripped the bandage from her right arm using it to clean Jill’s arms. 

“How do you look this hot….” Claire grumbled out to herself as she brushed at Jill’s shoulder with the bandage. Except her efforts were fruitless since the bandage was already drenched in blood. Raising a brow Jill tried to hide her amusement at Claire’s actions as she touched and squeezed at Jill’s arms. 

“What was that?” Jill questioned after a moment, her eyebrows lifting when Claire stopped her movements. 

“Uh nothing.” Claire coughed out with a blush tossing the drenched bandage to the side as her eyes followed Jill’s arms when she stretched her sore muscles. A smile graced Jill’s features but she chose not to comment on Claire’s sudden evasiveness as she looked around the room they were in. 

“We make a great team Claire.” Jill commented referring to their cooperation during the last battle with what used to be Nemesis. She chose to look away from the red and brown remains of the monster as she walked towards the top of the large room they were located within. 

“That was all you Jill, my god.” Claire gasped out following behind Jill as she instinctively glanced to the dead remains because of her building paranoia that it would never truly die. 

“I wouldn’t be here without you, remember?” Jill replied, stopping Claire from walking through the next door and the redhead felt a warmth invade her when Jill touched her shoulder. 

“Right…” Claire said back with a short laugh moving to squeeze Jill’s hand. They locked gazes and Claire’s smile grew because of the amount of confidence Jill had in her. 

“Right.” Jill affirmed moving her hand from Claire’s shoulder to her free hand and she kept a strong grip on Claire’s hand as they walked out of the room. She felt her confidence rise when Claire gripped her hand just as tightly. 

After several minutes of trekking through the lab, Claire was about to admit defeat when she spotted a figure that was not an undead creature growling and shuffling towards them. Her grip tightened on Jill’s hand and she motioned to them quietly to let her know they were not alone. Remaining silent Jill and Claire stopped walking, each of them eyeing the person when she turned to face them. It was a woman in a lab coat and she was standing in front of a door with her hands raised however she seemed to be looking past them to someone or something else. Claire and Jill felt goosebumps on the back of their necks rise when they heard footsteps behind them.

“Annette!” A woman’s voice called out and they soon realized they were in the middle of a confrontation. Turning to face behind them Jill’s eyes squinted in confusion when she saw Leon and an unfamiliar woman standing next to him. 

“Jill! Claire!” Leon said in shock, a frown appearing on his face when Ada raised up her gun towards Annette while she ignored Jill and Claire who tensed upon seeing this motion. Jill immediately reacted and she held her handgun towards Ada who merely smirked when her eyes dropped to Jill’s. 

“Protecting her because she’s a poor defenseless woman?” Ada taunted and Jill frowned as she kept her eyes trained on her. 

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I want some answers.” Jill growled out and she refrained from relaxing her defensive stance even when Claire moved to touch her raised arm. 

“She’s with Leon, Jill…” Claire spoke out and Ada smiled upon hearing this. Leon seemed to be looking between them with a frown and he appeared at a loss of what he should say or do.

“We’re here to stop Doctor Birkin-” Ada said motioning to Annette who lifted her hands up again. 

“From destroying a little girl’s only chance at surviving.” Leon nodded at Ada’s words and he sent Jill a pleading look. She frowned and she swore under her breath before she lowered her gun. Without saying a word she backed up to Annette and she set her hand on her shoulder, and Annette frowned at Jill who moved to grip her right arm tightly.

“Let me tell you what is actually going on.” Annette scoffed out with a scowl lifting up a vial which was blue in color with her free hand. 

“She wants to steal the vaccine and sell it for profit. I’m not risking my daughter’s life, I am saving it.” 

“Leon, don’t listen to her. We have to get the vaccine to save Sherry.” Ada urged, moving to touch Leon on the arm. Ada had a panicked expression on her face when Leon frowned over at her, his eyes locking on the handgun that was aimed over at the blonde. 

“Who is this Leon?” Jill questioned her eyes flicking between the two of them as she read their body language. 

“This is Ada, she saved my life down in the sewers.” Leon answered his eyebrows knitting in worry when Ada frowned over at him. 

“You trust me, don’t you? I’m not going to do anything with that vaccine.” Ada said, keeping her hold on her gun despite the thickening tension in the air. 

“I-I trust Jill and Claire.” The blonde man replied his gut wrenching because of the look Ada was giving him. 

“I’m telling the truth, why else would I have brought her here? It was not for you lover boy.” Annette’s bitter voice called out and Claire felt her face redden from her confusion, the tension rising further when Ada moved her gun from Annette to Leon. 

“Too many accusations and too little time.” Ada called out in an pained expression and Leon’s hand shook a little when he saw tears in her dark eyes. He hadn’t expected that and he struggled with the conflicted feeling in his chest. 

The next person to move was Claire who turned to aim her gun at Ada. 

“I don’t know who the hell you are but…” Claire commented as Ada’s dark brown eyes regarded her, “You need to put your gun down now.” 

Reluctantly upon realizing she was outnumbered Ada actually followed Claire’s request and she sighed as Leon’s tense body language slowly relaxed. 

“I wasn’t going to shoot you Leon.” Ada whispered out, looking over to the others when she was abruptly shot in the chest. She yelled out in shock and pain, as she tumbled backwards only to be caught by Leon. The dark haired woman grunted at the impact and Leon gasped as blood seeped from the wound onto his arm. Turning with surprise he glanced up to see Annette in a headlock as she struggled against Jill while Claire held her gun, the gun Annette had used to shoot Ada with in pure shock. 

The gun dropped from Claire’s grasp as she took in the scene in front of her with horror. Leon whipped his head back down to Ada who was staring up at him warmly despite the terrible shock he had seen in her eyes the moment before. 

“Ada no.” Leon gasped out, hugging her to him as he tried to process what had happened. Ada merely smiled at him in response before she frowned, her hand finding its way to the side of Leon’s face. 

She coughed and he fought back tears when blood dripped past her pink lips. He could see pain evident on her features and he moved to touch her cheek as he wiped at the tears he had previously caused. 

“I’m sorry.” He whispered out and he struggled to find his next words when Ada stroked his chin. 

“I’m the one who’s sorry.” Ada replied her face paling and sweating as she bled onto the white lab floor. Leon could see it pooling under her red dress and he panicked when he felt the blood’s sticky warmth as it gathered around his arm. 

“Go be a hero for me and save that girl.” Ada said next and tears finally pricked at his eyes when she moved to kiss his cheek, not seeming to mind the warm tears that greeted her lips when she did so. Before Leon could respond it was too late and he gripped her tighter when Ada’s eyes closed. Soon he felt her body go limp and he bit his lip trying to use the sting as some reminder that this wasn’t real and that this was a nightmare instead. Sobs wracked in Leon’s chest and he hugged Ada to him for a long time. Time seemed to stand still in this horrible moment and Leon kept his eyes closed as he hugged Ada to him. He was wracked with guilt and regret as tears leaked from his eyes. All of this horror and so much pain because of greed. 

“Leon I’m so sorry…” Claire gasped out moving to touch his shoulder and nearly flinching when he almost pushed her over as a reaction. Upon seeing Claire’s soft and sympathetic stare Leon blinked away his tears understanding in their shared gaze they had to leave soon. Someone was relying on them and they couldn’t fail Sherry.

Glancing one last time to Ada, Leon mourned for her before he laid Ada down to the floor. Standing away from her body, Leon stood up straight and he tried to ignore the blood coating his chest and arm as he glanced over to Annette and Jill. Anguish simmered in his dark blue stare and he was met with another sympathetic stare but he could tell by the look in Jill’s eyes this was something she had seen before. Somehow in that moment he felt a little better knowing he wasn’t alone and shakily Leon touched his face accidentally wiping blood on his cheek when he did so. Feeling Claire touch his shoulder Leon brushed her off with a weak smile before he walked over to Annette. 

“You’re coming with us.” Leon grunted out and Annette slumped in her struggling in defeat upon seeing the firm stares from the three of them. Wordlessly the four of them departed towards where Leon said Carlos and Sherry was, each of them taking in the events of that night differently. 

“Sherry!” Claire gasped out letting go of Annette to run to the girl who was visibly shivering in Carlos' arms. She moved to touch Sherry’s forehead with a frown on her face at how hot her head felt. Without saying a word Claire pulled Sherry from Carlos arms with deep concern in her bright blue eyes. 

“Sherry-” Annette said next in a weak tone as she coughed, she shifted closer to them and Claire raised an eyebrow in anger when she stopped to look at her daughter. She moved to touch Sherry’s hair despite Claire’s mistrustful glances and she brushed away a strand of blonde hair from Sherry’s paling face before she looked up to Claire. 

“I can save her.” Annette said, revealing the vaccine from her lab coat when she fell to the ground and groaned. Concern wrecked through Claire and she glanced to Jill who leaned down to pick up the blue vial from Annette’s grasp. Seeing the blood that was seeping from Annette’s mouth, Jill frowned when she stood from the lab floor. 

“C-Claire?” Sherry whispered out and Claire felt tears well up in her eyes at seeing her as she was. She blinked when Jill brushed her tears away and they gave one another a look of understanding as Sherry turned to look down at her mother. 

“Mom...you finally came for me.” Sherry said next moving to touch Annette’s similarly paling face when she managed to look up from the floor. Annette tensed at feeling Sherry’s hand on her face and she blinked up at her with a weakening frown. 

“This is going to make you better.” She replied with what might have been her best attempt at a smile. Sherry frowned in response and confusion before she was hefted away, Jill and Claire flooding her vision. 

“Is Mom going to be a-alright?” Sherry asked and Jill slowly shook her head with a frown, she moved to help Annette up but she refused Jill’s hand. 

“The lab equipment.” Annette grunted out managing to shakily stand as she moved and shifted to lean against a lab table which had a machine next to it. Claire quickly moved to lay Sherry down on the table and she offered Sherry a small smile when she glanced up at her. 

“You’re going to be okay.” Claire whispered out shifting to the side of her with Jill while Annette worked to feed the vaccine into Sherry’s arm. 

Carlos stood off to the side with Leon and he frowned over at the man who was staring over at them blankly. Upon touching his shoulder Leon seemed to snap out of his trance and he regarded Carlos with a reassuring smile. Seeing this Carlos frowned, his eyes falling to the fresh blood on Leon’s chest and arm before he looked back over to the women. 

“Thank you.” Sherry replied and she closed her eyes as the blue liquid seeped through the vial into her skin and eventually her bloodstream. Just as the vial emptied into Sherry, Annette collapsed onto the floor and Claire moved to lift her up. With Jill’s help they lifted Annette into the other empty lab table before they stood off to the side to watch them.

“She’s not going to make it.” Jill spoke out and Claire glanced at her with tears upon hearing this. Realizing what she said Jill shook her head and she pointed to Annette who was becoming ghostly pale in appearance. 

“Despite what she did and her part in this, it’s hard to watch someone suffer.” Leon said and Carlos nodded in agreement finding he did not know what words to say that would make the situation any better. 

Suddenly a roar erupted that took away their attention and the four of them tensed when they recognized it. Glancing to each other they frowned in silent agreement before they each checked what equipment they had left. 

Jill stood in silence as she piled in the last remaining bullets she had in her magazine into her handgun and she stuck her magnum into her empty holster. Claire was next to her and she turned her head when Claire simply stared at her own gun without moving. Having noticed this Jill moved to stand in front of her lifting her chin with her fingers in order to stray her attention. 

Understanding the severity of the moment Claire thanked Jill with a smile before she reloaded the handgun with its last clip before she looked to her shotgun to see what ammunition she had left. 

“I don’t feel good about this.” Carlos admitted checking his handgun, his body swaying from Leon when he tried to reach for his shotgun back. He chuckled softly when Leon rolled his eyes and pulled out his grenade launcher. 

“This is it and I’ve fought worse.” Jill replied, glancing at each of them seriously. Carlos and Leon were about to comment when Claire shook her head rapidly from behind Jill. Feeling this motion since Jill was standing right beside Claire, she glanced at her with a smile when she moved to wrap an arm around her. 

“We have Jill and she’s all we need to kick some ass. No bitchin’ or complainin’ okay?” Claire said, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb Sherry. Leon and Carlos nodded silently with impressed looks on their faces as they followed Jill and Claire who walked out of the room with purpose. 

“Is she always this defensive of you?” Carlos asked teasingly, seeming to need to provide some levity in the midst of the serious terror that had been invading their minds since they arrived. Jill laughed and she shrugged in response as she slowed her walk so she was walking next to Carlos. 

“Yes she is.” Jill replied, seeming pleased as Leon and Claire walked ahead, both of them searching around for any signs of Birkin. They used the sounds of his roars as a way to trail after him but he was nowhere in sight. 

“You know how to pick them Jill. Feisty, confident, and strong.” Carlos commented with a grin and Jill tapped his chest playfully as if she was telling him to watch it. There was a bit of distance between the two of them and Claire and Leon, but based upon Jill’s expression she was focused as she listened to the sounds of destruction grow louder.

She paused when she saw a window before she backed up holding out her hand when a pipe sailed towards her head, the force of the throw created a hole through the glass as the radial fractures spread out like a discordant spider web. The glass cracked further and Jill performed a roll when Birkin broke through it. His large mutating form bending the wall and the glass to his will as it shattered it. Multiple pieces shot out and hit the lab floor and a few impacted Carlos and Jill’s legs. 

“Hey fuckface!” Leon yelled out trying to distract Birkin from Carlos and Jill. It worked to turn Birkin’s growling form towards him and he tensed knowing he could not fire his launcher because of how close Birkin was to the others. Deciding quickly Leon ran backwards hoping it would lead Birkin into a chase. Claire followed suit and she pushed her legs to run faster when Birkin barreled after them because despite his size he seemed much faster than before. 

Jill hefted her body up and she glanced to Carlos who followed after her when she picked up into a sprint. 

Claire tried to fire at Birkin but she stopped when she saw Jill chasing behind him. Fearing she would hit Jill by mistake she tucked in her handgun and she kept up her run, turning a corner and ducking when Birkin’s large hand tried to smash her into the wall. 

“Lead him into a more open room!” Claire called out and Leon responded with a grunt when Birkin closed in on him knocking him into a roll before he stood back up. He impacted the wall and he let out a sharp breath when Birkin’s mutated hand reached towards him in a large swipe of his claws. Seeing this Claire lifted up her shotgun and she shot at Birkin, the blast managing to knock him back long enough for Leon to move. 

Suddenly as Birkin recovered Jill slid under him to Claire and Leon with Carlos close behind however due to Birkin’s large size he was unable to join them when Birkin lifted back up. Without warning Jill fired into Birkin with her handgun hitting one of his many eyes before she motioned and called for them to move. Heeding her call they all ran towards the large set of doors, the four of them glancing around when they found themselves inside of a room full of test tubes. Claire and Leon made faces upon noticing creatures inside of the tubes that looked like the ones that had attacked them in the hospital. 

The large door behind them seemed to halt Birkin’s hulking form but they were unsure for how long as they moved further through the narrowed corridor. 

“This-This wasn’t my idea of an open room.” Claire commented, each of them jumping when Birkin slammed his large fists into the metal door. 

“Let’s hope they have insurance.” She joked out her expression fading into a frown when they all turned to face the door as Birkin worked to wedge it open, ripping and tearing the middle of it with his strength alone. 

“Won’t need it after the government nukes the city.” Leon replied, narrowing his eyes as he lifted up his grenade launcher, his trigger finger ready. 

“Oh yeah, almost forgot about that.” Claire chuckled out, licking her lips and looking to Jill who was staring at the door with a grave frown. Claire swallowed and she craned her neck to the left to prepare for their upcoming fight. Roaring and growling like a furious cat, Birkin’s demonic form soared towards the four of them but he was soon halted when they all fired at him. When Leon caught him on fire with a flame round, the rest of them fired at Birkin, keeping their assault on him to make sure he did not gain an inch.

Breaking test tubes next to him with his fist they all ducked when Birkin screamed and threw one at them. The four simultaneously ducked under the tube and Claire winced at earning the loud crash knowing if it did not kill the creature within it another monster was going to be joining them. 

“I think we’ve really pissed him off.” Carlos yelled out jumping to the left and ducking a punch from Birkin that would have been fatal. His claws were sharp and serrated and he did not doubt being gutted would be the result if they made a mistake. 

“No shit.” Jill replied grunting when Birkin knocked her to the ground when she ventured a little too close. She kept her position on the ground and she fired hitting him in the eye four times out of the five shots she fired. After a particular shot from Claire, Birkin paused his assaults and he roared, falling to the ground and revealing more eyes in the process. 

“Unload on him!” Claire called out pulling the trigger of her gun until it no longer fired any bullets. Leon took this opportunity to pile in flame rounds before he pushed Carlos back to gather more room. Pulling the trigger over and over he hit Birkin in his more vulnerable spots taking delight in knowing it had critically damaged him in the process. 

Taking this time to lean down Claire touched Jill’s back as she shifted up and relief appeared on her features when Jill stood up from the floor. 

All of them looked to Birkin with surprise when his skin burned and the fire cutaway at his muscles and tendons. The eyes were now a vibrant red and the howling reminded Jill of a dying animal. Whatever this creature had been before was long gone in place of a monster of the worst kind. Blue eyes blinked as she tried to block out the sight of disgust and relief overwhelming her emotionally when Birkin finally stopped moving after a few more hits from Leon’s grenade launcher. By then Jill and Carlos had stopped firing at the eyes and she kept a defensive stance in case this really was not the end. 

Silence reigned for a long moment as if they were daring Birkin to lift up again like a nightmare that played on repeat, but perhaps now he was finally gone to hell where he belonged. 

Feeling Carlos pat her back Jill turned to look at her comrades who looked exhausted and floored having battled for their lives for days and nights on end. Perhaps now the horror that was Raccoon City would be over for them. Shaking her head briskly Jill strode towards Birkin’s prone form and she glared down at him before she lifted up her silver magnum. Two bullets remained in the chamber and she considered using them when a growl interrupted her train of thought. Glaring up at the monster Birkin had released Jill quickly fired at it and she killed it watching it fall into a thud behind Claire who had visibly tensed when she heard the growl. Looking over at Jill with appreciation, Claire moved to follow her. 

“We’re lucky for once.” Jill remarked not taking the time to look at the others as they followed after her. Catching up with Jill, Claire nodded her head slowly as she held her shotgun in one hand and she shifted to hold her other out. 

“Somehow I just don’t think luck has anything to do with it. We had a grenade launcher.” Claire admitted with a grin growing on her face when Jill grabbed her open hand and stopped to look down at it. They were awkwardly holding one another’s hands as if they were going to arm wrestle and Claire chuckled slightly until she shifted their intertwined hands to their sides so she could hold Jill’s hand more comfortably. 

“Can I hold your hand too?” Carlos teased out opening his gloved palm towards Leon who immediately rolled his eyes at the other man. 

“Only on my deathbed.” Leon said, as he caught up with Jill and Claire. Carlos merely frowned and he glanced back to Birkin’s dead form before he turned his head back to the others. 

“Well don’t do that while I’m gone.” Carlos remarked stopping the three who turned to glance back at him. 

“Gone?” Jill questioned and Carlos offered them a smile. 

“I’ll go ahead and secure the helicopter on the roof. That is how we’re getting out of here. I have the T-Vaccine and Sherry should be getting better already.” He explained moving a tuft of his messy dark hair from his sweating face. 

“Be careful.” Jill responded, locking eyes with Carlos who immediately gave her a nod. 

“Of course, I couldn’t leave the team without its most important member.” Carlos laughed out receiving collective smiles before he motioned to the direction he was walking towards before leaving. 

Annette groaned softly as she turned her head to the side. Stirring from her weakened state she looked over to the only other person in the room, her daughter. 

“S-Sherry.” Annette called out moving off of the table and falling in the process. The clatter of the sound of the lab equipment falling over startled Sherry awake and her blue eyes blinked open. Turning to the side Sherry revealed her face which had healed tremendously and not a bit of pink was visible on her face. Hearing footsteps she gasped and she turned to her mother who was now kneeling next to her. 

“Sherry?” Claire called out and relief ran through Sherry’s chest until Annette looked over at her. The little girl had never seen her look like that but instinctively she could tell it was bad. 

“Mom no.” Sherry cried out tears welling in her eyes as she sat up on the table to look at her. Claire moved to wrap an arm around her in response and she immediately clung to the redhead’s tank top, hiding her face to mask her tears. Sherry felt a hand touch her shoulder and she tensed until she realized it was Jill behind her. Glancing from Claire and Jill, Sherry’s eyes fell on Leon who was leaning next to Annette. 

“Take care of her…” Annette whispered out when she spotted Claire and the redhead’s features fell into visible concern when Annette collapsed back to the floor. Leaning to the blonde woman she tried to shake her but the light was already gone from her eyes. 

“M-Mom.” Sherry sobbed out as she looked over to Claire and Jill. Jill kept her hand on her shoulder while she wept into Claire’s shirt. 

“I’m sorry Sherry.” She heard Leon breath out and she blinked away her blurry tears to look at him. Matched with an understanding stare she nodded her head slowly since she could not find any words to say. They allowed Sherry the time to mourn and Claire could be heard whispering soothing words to Sherry until the tears were no longer leaking from her eyes. 

“Can we go…?” Sherry eventually asked in a watery stare and Claire immediately nodded but she turned back to look in surprise when Sherry laid her red jacket over her. 

“Thank you for the jacket.” She whispered out and Claire laughed softly feeling her eyes well up with sympathetic tears until she felt Jill moved to touch the leather jacket. 

“How about you keep it?” Jill asked in a soft tone her fingers brushing against Claire’s bare wrist as she spoke. 

“I think Claire would like you to have it.” Jill went on to say, glancing to Claire to confirm her statement. Claire immediately nodded in response and a slight bit of joy flickered in Sherry’s eyes as she moved to put the red jacket back on. 

Suddenly before anyone else said anything Sherry moved to timidly hug Jill who wrapped her arms around Sherry before she lifted her up from the table. Keeping a firm grip on Sherry she looked down to the blonde as Claire smiled softly at them. 

“It’s time for us to keep our promise to you and get you out of here.” Jill said hearing footsteps as Leon moved to stand beside them. 

“Okay.” Sherry said simply moving to rest her head on Jill’s shoulder. Noticing the exhausted look in her eyes Jill frowned and she paused when Claire moved to tuck a blonde strand from Sherry’s face. 

“Let’s go.” Claire said rearming herself with her shotgun as Leon followed suit with his handgun. They may have sparse amounts of ammo but they each felt confident as they walked out of the lab. Death had followed them wherever they went but for a little girl they were willing to do the impossible. 

The horrors of Mr. X, Nemesis, Nikolai, and Birkin behind them the four survivors made their way through the lab towards the rooftop in haste not wasting time in killing any zombies along the way. Claire kept a serious expression on her face after she wasted a particularly grabby zombie and relief flooded through her when they came across a crawl space which would lead them towards where they needed to go to escape. 

Sliding in together they maneuvered around with Sherry who managed to walk the rest of the way despite this she kept close to Jill and Claire who each continued to check on her until they arrived at the rooftop without incident. 

Leon breathed an audible sigh of relief when he spotted the helicopter and he blinked his eyes rapidly as he adjusted to the change in the sky. It was near the dawn by the looks of it and the sun was barely lighting up the city they were within but it was noticeably lighter than it had been when he first arrived in Raccoon City. 

“I think I made an impression on my first day.” Leon said aloud and Jill chuckled before she stood stock still. Feeling a nausea in her stomach Jill held up her hand to stop Claire and Sherry from walking any further. Something did not taste right to Jill and the hairs on the back of her neck raised with her alarm. Leon having been looking away missed Jill’s signal until he nearly ran into her. Being shoved back suddenly Leon grunted when his back impacted the concrete of the rooftop and he yelled out in shock when he realized Jill had shoved him down because a new figure had appeared on the rooftop and had nearly taken his head off with the blade of the helicopter. Horror shot through Leon’s spine and he gasped when he looked behind him to see the blade of the helicopter was spinning in the air rapidly until it crashed into another rooftop nearby. 

“Claire take Sherry and go!” Jill yelled out rolling into an upright position. Claire wanted to protest but the sound of Carlos yelling took her attention away. 

Gasping in shock and terror she looked over to see the figure was holding Carlos up by his head and it was trying to crush him until Leon fired and hit the tyrant in the face. Recognizing the tyrant for who it was Claire frowned with her anger. 

“Not you again.” She yelled out grabbing Sherry’s hand when she heard her yelp in fear. Tugging her along she took Sherry away from Jill and Leon and into the corner of the rooftop. Claire wrapped her arms around the young girl in her attempts to shield her from the fight. 

Loud stomps cracked the yellow paint of the helicopter pad where he walked and the burning tyrant tossed Carlos to the ground. Mr.X rumbled forward in a run towards Jill with a large part of his right torso and arm a burning inferno. Feeling the searing heat from how close his mutated fist was to her face Jill rolled across the concrete when he made a stomp. 

“This is not my fucking day.” Jill grunted struggling when Mr. X managed to grab her when he dashed to where she was attempting to stand. Being lifted by the head Jill tried to grab at his hand but her hands were soon pushed away by his burning hand which made her scream from the pain. 

“Jill!” Claire yelled out in panic when she looked over to see the dire situation. However, her worry was soon dashed away when Leon approached Mr.X and he shot him point blank with his grenade launcher. To her dismay this knocked Jill from the tyrant’s grasp but she yelled out in pain when she fell hard on her leg. Leon’s risky move affected him as well and he was propelled backwards into the concrete. In a panic he brushed away at his uniform which had caught on fire until the only thing he could see was the black covering his R.P.D. chest plate. 

“Leon, get moving!” Claire hollered out when Mr.X started to rush after Leon when he managed to stand up. Seeing his hulking form from the corner of his eyes, Leon jumped just in time and the tyrant's arm went into a block concrete barrier effectively getting stuck inside of it in the process. 

Knowing they were going to need her help, Claire moved to look Sherry in the eyes with the calmest expression she could muster. 

"Can you go to Carlos and stay with him for me?” She asked looking over to where Carlos was laying across the pad. 

Shaking with her fear Sherry bit her lip before she nodded her head.

“Can you run for me like a brave girl?” Claire asked, setting her hands on her shoulders as she searched Sherry’s eyes. Receiving a more reassured look Sherry moved to nod her head again rapidly before Claire gave her the signal to run. Watching to make sure Mr. X kept his distance Claire moved to cover her until Sherry made it beside Carlos. 

“Carlos! Wake up please.” Sherry pleaded once she made it to the unconscious man. She continued to shake him while Claire aimed her shotgun at the struggling tyrant.

Running to where he was beside Leon, Claire fired at Mr.X repeatedly with rage burning in her eyes. 

“It’s time for you to say goodbye!” Claire yelled out, moving to stab Mr.X in torso with her knife but he managed to push her back with the movement of his arm. With the force of his shifting he removed his arm from the concrete and he roared as he turned his large body to face Claire. 

In a brief panic Claire shoved in shells into her assault shotgun keeping her stance despite the increase in speed Mr.X was making in her direction. 

“Claire! Catch!” Leon shouted out and it took her attention to the sailing grenade launcher. Darting to her right Claire dropped her shotgun to grab at the launcher which she caught with her right hand within seconds of it being thrown. 

Pushing her body backwards she lifted up the grenade launcher to Mr.X’s melting face when he stopped walking and he arched his burning arm like he was about to crush her to smithereens. 

From the cracked portion of the helipad Jill lifted up and she winced in pain. Panic shot through her chest nevertheless when she looked over to Claire but a grenade being launched erupted and it hit Mr.X in the face with enough force to knock him to the ground. Fire flickered upward across the monster’s face but not trusting Umbrella’s creations Claire continued firing at him until she managed to catch his entire body on fire. Dropping the launcher when she used up the remainder of the flame rounds, Claire stepped back to lift up her shotgun before she moved to stand over Mr.X’s whose skin was melting away from the intense hit that was eating away at his flesh. Redness appeared in splotches at the downed enemy and Claire let out a breath before she fired the shotgun directly into his exposed chest. With triumph Claire pulled the trigger two more times until she finally heard the cry of death from the being. Not feeling an ounce of remorse for it’s death, Claire’s shotgun fell to her side as she let out a breath.

Turning to walk away Claire’s eyes immediately fell onto Jill who she ran too with concern. Before she could think of a response arms wrapped around her and Claire let out a sigh when Jill pulled her closer to her. Hands clung to the holster on Jill’s back as she hugged her as tightly as she could. 

“You saved us.” Jill whispered into her ear and Claire offered her a tired smile when she moved to look at her. Touching her hand to Jill’s soft face which had a large gash running from her cheek to her jaw Claire closed her eyes and moved to kiss her when they were interrupted by the sound of a chopper overhead. 

The two women glanced up in surprise when a spotlight landed on them and their eyebrows raised when the operator of the helicopter spoke. 

“This is Burton, is that you Jill?” A deep and gruff voice called out and Jill moved her hand that lifted to shield her face from the piercing white light when relief flooded through her. Standing up with the help of Claire, Jill waved her arms rapidly ushering for him to land. Unable to see the man’s expression she hoped he saw when the helicopter moved to circle ahead and find a place to land on the rooftop. 

Looking over to Leon who was limping over to them, Claire and Jill glanced over to smile when they saw Carlos and Sherry walking over. Raising a brow since Carlos was giving Sherry a piggyback ride, Jill laughed when Carlos merely shrugged at the three of them in response. 

“Friend of yours?” Leon asked pointing to the helicopter and Jill bit back a laugh as she shifted to lean into Claire since her leg was giving her grief for putting all of her weight on it. 

“Barry Burton. He used to be in S.T.A.R.S. too.” Jill answered by setting a hand on Leon’s shoulder before her attention was back on the helicopter which had now successfully landed in front of them. Watching the blades whirl over their heads they each piled into the helicopter with haste.

Stopping beside it Jill let out a tired breath when Claire stared at her without saying anything. Lips upturning as they looked at one another, Claire helped Jill into the helicopter with the help of Carlos as they each settled down in the available seats of the helicopter. Carlos moved to beside Burton who merely looked at him before his dark gaze landed on Jill. 

Lifting the helicopter from the pad they were unaware of a dark figure down below them as they exited into the air in a swift pace. 

“Thanks for coming Barry.” Jill yelled out and Barry merely smiled in reply. 

“You don’t know how long I was searching for you. I’m just glad we’re leaving before they send it out.” Barry remarked turning his attention back to his flying as he pushed it to keep going forward and away from Raccoon City. 

“It’s going to be here any moment now.” Jill said after a moment of silence as everyone breathed in the momentary peace. Having been unable to rest for so long Jill leaned her head into the side of the helicopter and she smiled when she felt Claire lean her head onto her shoulder. 

“We made it.” Leon breathed out, setting his head back into the seat as Sherry leaned her head into his shoulder. Touching the girl’s head since she was sitting between himself and Claire he allowed himself a relieved smile. 

“Yes we did.” Carlos echoed moving to touch his chest where his wounds were as his thoughts wandered. 

Feeling Claire shift next to her Jill turned to look at her and she paused when Claire looked at her at the same exact moment. Looking at the woman she had saved and had been saved by Jill’s stare turned intense to match Claire’s as they took in this moment which would be unlike any other moment. They had survived together and they had endured a lot of loss together, but they had each formed friendships and bonds that Jill was certain would remain with her forever. 

Licking her dry lips Jill closed her eyes as she met her lips with Claire’s. Claire reciprocated and she pressed into Jill until they separated from each other. Keeping her eyes closed Jill sighed softly when Claire touched her face and ran her fingers through her hair. 

“Jill I…” However, what Claire had been about to say was interrupted by the rumble of a missile as it passed by the helicopter and Barry yelled in surprise as he pressed forward trying to gather enough distance from the city as possible. 

When a distant and Earth-shattering explosion rocked the helicopter in the sky they spun uncontrollably for several terrifying minutes until Barry at least gained control. Knowing the last thing she wanted to do is look, Claire buried her face into Jill’s arms as she held onto her to keep them from being rocked around the inside like rag dolls. 

When everything eventually settled and all was alright once again, Claire lifted her head from Jill’s arms and she shifted to look at Sherry who was watching the both of them. Feeling confused by the rather intrigued expression on Sherry’s face she went about asking her what was the matter when Sherry’s face lit up with a bright smile. 

“Are you and Jill going to be my new moms now?” Sherry asked suddenly and Claire’s face reddened considerably in response while the others around them let out a laugh which immediately lessened the thick tension in the air. Joining them Claire chuckled before she moved to grab Sherry and Jill’s hands. 

“We’ll figure out who you are staying with don’t worry.” Leon piped up smiling when Sherry moved her other hand to grab his. Receiving a delighted expression from Sherry, he looked to Carlos who was merely watching them from where he was sitting in silence. 

“As for now, you should get some sleep.” Jill went on to say poking Sherry’s nose which made her laugh. 

“Okay Jill.” Sherry replied, moving to lay her head on Claire’s lap which Claire seemed comfortable with. She touched Sherry’s head like she had when they were on the tram as she looked back over to Jill. Their uncertain future was clear on Jill’s face but what Claire focused more on was the redness that was dusting Jill’s face. Claire had felt the urge to spill all of her words out to Jill and yet somehow it did not feel right just then. Having survived Raccoon City many thoughts filled her head but one in particular was standing out to her. With Jill by her side anything was possible and knowing she was there for her no matter what made her feel more secure and happy than she’s felt with anyone else before. Tightening her hold on Jill’s hand she felt Jill squeeze her hand with a smile finally lifting up her lips from the reflective frown she had minutes before. 

There had been a lot of pain and loss from Raccoon City that Claire knew would never quite fade and yet as she looked ahead to the golden sky and white clouds ahead of them she felt a new hope and a determination rise in her chest. 

Together they were going to change the world for the better and stomp out the monsters and greedy men who threatened it. All to make sure something like Raccoon City never happens again. 

As long as it takes. 

“Claire, you were going to tell me something?” Jill whispered out, shaking Claire away from her deep contemplation. Shifting her head from Sherry who was now dozing away on her lap, Claire felt her face and chest heat up when Jill moved her hand from her own to her cheek. Swallowing away her fear that felt silly after all they have been through Claire chuckled lowly when Jill’s face scrunched slightly in her confusion. Apparently she could now read Claire’s mind because she could see the red rising from Jill’s face to the tips of her ears. 

“I’ve been waiting to say it, d-do you want me too?” Claire whispered out in order to keep their conversation between just the two of them even though distinctly Claire knew Leon and Carlos were already routing for them. 

“Say what exactly?” Jill replied a little nervously. 

“I love you. What else would I be wanting to say to you?” Claire offered up unable to bite back her sarcasm despite the utter importance she was ultimately ruining because of her ridiculous emotions. Hearing Jill suck in a breath she briefly panicked for that second for what felt to Claire like several minutes until Jill moved her thumb across her cheek in a gentle carcass that soothed her like the calm blue of her pacific stare. 

“I love you too, smart ass.” Jill sassed back the gentle smirk making Claire feel more at ease then she thought it would, but perhaps it was just because smirking suited Jill. A chuckled bubbled out and Claire moved to cover her mouth to avoid waking Sherry and Leon. Nevertheless a happiness rose in her chest when Jill leaned her head into Claire’s shoulder to muffle her own laughs. 

With relief and joy flowing through her chest, Claire watched the woman she had grown to care and love with a smile. She was grateful for the bravery and courage of Jill Valentine and she was going to count her blessings in this ever changing world. 

Jill being the biggest blessing of them all.


End file.
